25 STONES

Raising Ebenezers for the Glory of God

This past Sunday I preached from 1 Samuel 7, where the prophet sets up an Ebenezer (Stone of Help) as a memorial to what the Lord had done for His people. I then went on to mention some of the 25 works of God [from our almost 25 years in Chapin] I had jotted down as I prepped for the sermon. I promised the entire list, so here it is!

1. Summer of 2001: Started a Prayer Movement. Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain [Psalm 127:1], so the inspiration and direction for the work we wanted to see the Lord do in and through this church needed to be birthed in prayer. An increased emphasis was placed on personal and corporate prayer and God began to inspire and direct.
2. Summer of 2001: Started sowing “seeds of creative discontent.” This was a really good church and is so often the case contentment with being good was a real danger. So as I met with leaders, I would ask them to describe the church and almost everyone of them said, “We’re a growing church …” And I would go, “You’re right – the zip code for Chapin has more than doubled the past 20 years and this church has grown by 46 people in 20 years …” And they were surprised and God was at work to birth a new move of His Spirit.
3. Spring of 2002: Started 2^nd traditional service. Our 11am service was full, the choir agreed to sing twice every Sunday (as long as they only had to listen to the sermon once – haha!). You embraced our “A culture of invitation leads to a climate of celebration!” And God kept bringing more people here and more people were connecting with His saving love in Jesus.
4. Spring of 2003: Started 1^st contemporary service. We faced lots of challenges at this point – this style of worship was different and different calls for change and change is hard – but God was at work and He met every single one of the challenges we faced. People uncomfortable with church for church people were beginning to find Jesus here. As God continued to through our traditional services, He was now at work through another style of worship.
5. Spring of 2003: Our Staff Team began to grow. We were no longer a “solo pastor” sized church, and God was faithful to begin to bring together an amazing group of women and men to help lead this family of Jesus followers.
6. Fall of 2003: Began Disciple 12×12. This church had a solid history of having 12 people each calendar year go through an intensive 9-month study of the Bible called “Disciple I.” We decided in 2003 to see if we could get 12 groups of 12 people (hence the name, 12×12) commit to go through Disciple I. It was a really “BIG” prayer and God answered by providing 11 groups of 12 people! Just amazing! And so many leaders – some of whom are still leading today – came from those 11 groups. When anyone asks me for the reason for the incredible move of God we’re still experiencing here, I point to two things: Prayer and Disciple 12×12.
7. Fall of 2004: Started 2^nd contemporary service. Just a year after starting the 1^st one, there was no more room for people. So you flexed and adapted and created more space and God continued moving. Service times changed – again – and God moved and blessed again because so many of you were more concerned with continuing to reach people than with maintaining your own personal preferences. Note: Churches where “how” and “when” they worship is more important than “Who” and “why” they worship, those churches have major issues. But as you’ve embraced our mantra: It’s not about me, it’s about Him [Jesus]; It’s not about us [the already convinced], it’s about them [those who aren’t yet saved]… God has been at work, big time!
8. Winter of 2009: Completed the main sanctuary. We had grown to 4 services and were using the Fellowship Hall to host one of them. Space for more people to come and hear the good news of the gospel was desperately needed. And because of your love for Jesus and your love for people, you gave sacrificially and you flexed (you left behind a worship space you loved) and we changed worship times (again) and God continued to work!
9. Summer of 2010: Held 1^st GIC. You believed that Jesus needed to be shared not only in but also beyond our local community and you are now partnered with more than 40 mission organizations, locally and globally, and God was and is at work.
10. Winter of 2013: Held the Better Conference. Word was getting out and people wanted to come and see what God was doing in little ‘ol Chapin. They came and saw and many of them were encouraged and empowered to go and do some of what you were doing to reach people.
11. Spring 2016: Completed additional parking. This on-grade-level lot was necessary for more than one reason; one of which was to provide close and easy access to the sanctuary and to Sunday School space for many of our senior adults.
12. Summer of 2017: Completed the WAVE Children’s Ministry Bld. Good sustainable growth has to be multi-generational, and that’s what God was and is doing here. People of all ages falling in love with Jesus and following Him.
13. Fall of 2018: Began process to separate from the UMC. The denomination was headed in a direction contrary to its doctrine, history, and the Holy Bible. We did not want to turn away from God’s Word or from 2000 years of Church tradition, so we began to study and explore our options.
14. Winter of 2019/2020: Covid hit. One thing it did was put a pause on the process of separating from the denomination, and suddenly we had another “opportunity” on our hands: the fight to keep this local church from separating at its seams. Without question, this was the hardest time I’ve endured in 35 years in the ministry. Every decision I made seemed to upset half of the church. Some people I loved dearly left the church. It was a struggle … // In May of 2020 I found a note in my bedside table from our amazing son Andrew … it was exactly what this shaken and struggling pastor needed … and I’ve read it many, many times since … When my leadership [when leadership everywhere] was being questioned God worked through these words from the best PK [Preacher’s Kid] on the planet:
15. Spring of 2020: The Prayer Movement grew. A Sunday Night online prayer gathering, two 6AM weekly prayer calls, students gathering to pray here at church on late-arrival Wednesdays [instead of sleeping in or doing something else], adult groups, etc. Our hunger to see God move increased and so did our experience of His working among and through us.
16. Summer of 2023: 5 years after beginning the process we separated from UMC on June 30, 2023. You voted 97+% to no longer be a United Methodist Church. And almost immediately we began to experience unprecedented growth in every area. God was at work!
17. Summer of 2023: Became C4 … Chapin Christian Community Church. Coming up with a new name was certainly a challenge, but doing so was worth it. We had a new name, but we were the same church (doctrinally and structurally) we had been.
18. Summer of 2023: Joined The Foundry Network. An amazing group of 22 other large former UMCs (from ATL to Houston to St Louis /Ala/Miss/Ga/SC) that provide encouragement and accountability.
19. Summer of 2023: Embraced “No Church Left Behind” and we continue to help resource churches praying to see God move through them; FORGED SC [much like The Foundry Network but for smaller former UMCs] has been formed and is off to a great start.
20. Summer of 2023: As we began to experience life outside of a denomination, we wanted to make sure everyone inside the church here knew that we had no intentions of leaving our history and heritage behind. That we were, “A Church Continuing in the Wesleyan Tradition.” As I was explaining this to Andrew one evening he asked if I had ever thought of naming the streets on the C4 campus. I said we had not, but immediately knew this was the answer. So, we named the streets, “Trailblazers Avenue” and “Methodist Way.” God was at work!
21. Fall of 2023: We began working on a Transition Plan. No longer a part of a denomination that would send us our next Lead Pastor one day, how would God provide? The plan was adopted by the C4 Staff Parish Relations Committee in February of 2024, and months later it was determined that Pastor John Dukes would succeed me on January 1, 2026.
22. Winter of 2025: Held the R3 [Renew, Restore, Revive] Conference … Again, people traveled from all over to learn more about God’s amazing work here. One woman upon her arrival and while still in the parking lot, said to one of our team: “I feel God here …” God’s presence is tangible and He is at work!
23. Spring of 2025: Began maximizing the current campus footprint by repurposing some existing spaces to help us better manage the growth God continues to bring. We are still very much in need of additional Sunday School space, office space, multipurpose space, worship space, etc. An Expansion Exploration Team and a Building Team have been established to study and implement a plan to best position us for God’s continued blessing.
24. Fall of 2025: Purchased adjacent property which gives us so many great growth options in the future.
25. Winter of 2025: Our very first Ordination Service was held on December 14, 2025. Pastors Bob Brooks, John Dukes, Natalie McCoy, and Jonathan Ruth were ordained by C4 and will provide us great leadership moving forward!

Just amazing the work of God! And those 25 Ebenezers are just a few examples of God’s amazing faithfulness among us! We could raise so many more because of the countless stories of life change, of marriages healed, addictions broken, stories of once lukewarm hearts now on fire with love for God and love for people!

Back in March of 2001 before we had been told that we were being sent to Chapin, I wrote something inside one of my Bibles …

And oh my goodness!!

God’s done it!!

God’s done it!!

We’ve worked and watched God build a truly great church!!

And He’s not done yet!!

I love you all – Happy New Year! – and may 2026 be a year of many Ebenezers being raised because of the work of God in each of our lives, in our families, and in this church!!

-Jody