When Monique and I first started the process of planting Freedom Church, we simply asked God to send us to a place that needed to hear the message he’d given us. Out of that prayer, our mission statement was born. We want people to have authentic relationships with God and his people, to have real experiences with the Holy Spirit, and to find lasting freedom.

We raised $180,000, sold our home, walked away from our church, friends, the school we loved, and came to Liberty County. We didn’t know a soul here. We just knew this is where God said go.

This was our first interest meeting on March 15, 2020. A few weeks later COVID would shut down the nation. A few months later we lost our venue because of shutdowns. We would miss our expected launch date of September 20, 2020.

The next Sunday we met at the home of one of our launch team couples. The following Sunday, October 4th, we soft launched. Worship was in the living room. Kid’s Min was at the house next door.

In March of 2021 we were able to lease 6000 sq ft to launch. After a month of grueling work, we officially launched on April 4, 2021.

Over the next 3.5 years we grew to 225-250 and were consistently running out of space. Through a miracle of God, we were able to raise $360,000 and secure financing for the property we’re on right now. The plan was originally to renovate the old warehouse that was here as a temporary space while we saved up for and built out this sanctuary. However the second worst flood we’ve seen here happened in May of 2024 causing us to abandon that idea and focus solely on this building.

NF2 We had our first service here on January 5, 2025 in a paid for building.

Church Pic Since we’ve been in the new facility, we have seen:
- Over 1000 walk through the doors
- Growth from an average 225 people in January 2025 to over 530 on average over the last 5 Sundays
- 5 staff members added
- Reserves go from literally $0 in January 2025 to $521,088 as of March 23.
- Over 260+ saved
- Nearly 150 baptized
- Have gone from 6000 sq ft of space to over 19,500 sq ft of space
- Given thousands in our school partnership with Liberty Middle School, Elementary School, and High school, as well as Dayton Youth Sports, Liberty Youth Sports, and various others
- Given over $10,000 in financial support to other churches in need
- Poured $75,000 into our Rwandan mission efforts, providing education, discipleship, houses, vocational training, food, clean water, and ministry to thousands of impoverished in Kigali
- Have seen an eternal impact made in Liberty County and beyond.

God has done more than we could ever have imagined in just 5 years.
What we’re seeing here is miraculous. Let me show you clearly what we believe God is wanting to do here going forward.

1. We want people to have a great experience.
We want people to feel welcomed, at home, seen, and comfortable, not pressured. We want to create a space where they are free to let their guard down. While they don’t have to trust from the start, we want trusting us to be something easy to get to based on consistent, loving interactions with authentic people who really care. We want to give people easy access to next steps and growth plans for them and their family, and even clarity in those areas that most people take issue with in the church, like finances, beliefs, etc. We want people to have the best experience at Freedom.

Al Simonson is a great example of this. While hesitant to come to Freedom at first, when he started, we’d just chat, and that turned into texts which turned into golf outings. Libby prayed for a quarter century for Al to have an experience with Jesus. Easter Sunday of 2025, Al Simonson turned in a Connect Card indicating he’d made Jesus Lord. He was baptized in September and met Jesus face to face in January. I doubt it was my preaching that made the difference, but I do know Al consistently had moments at Freedom that drove him to say, “We’re going to Freedom today.” I looked back through our text feed over the last year and a half at all the “Great sermon today,” and “I’ll see you at DGroup, looking forward to it.” He loved it here. Libby, too. She is adored by those kids in Kid Min and loves them too. All of those experiential moments made room for him to encounter God.

2. We want people to encounter God.
The initial experience opens people’s hearts and helps them let their guard down, and that gives them a clear path to having that experience with God through everything we do at Freedom, not just Sundays. Worship needs to be more than musically solid, it needs to be Spirit-led and Spirit-filled. Teaching has to be biblically sound, filled with truth, but delivered in a graceful way that leads people to repentance and relationship. The platform has to be a place where people hear God’s Word, but also a place where they learn to hear God’s voice. We want people to experience the power of the Holy Spirit every time the doors are open. If they experience that power, it leads to what’s next: discipleship.

Elisha Lamelle is a great example of this. So many people have known God for years, but when you get in an environment where you are consistently encountering God, he begins to shift things in your heart that draw you closer to him. Those consistent encounters are like wheels on a roller coaster that push the cars forward along the track. Elisha has such a tender heart towards God and those encounters are what have opened the doors for God to speak to her, identify things he wants to address, hurts he wants to heal, and purpose he desires for her. She emulates God’s heart in that she want’s people to truly encounter him as she is. All of these moments have created opportunities for discipleship.

3. We want people to be discipled.
This is the process where people become more like Christ through daily touches with God through worship, prayer, and Bible engagement. This requires we offer opportunities to be discipled through classes, studies, groups, even daily God-focused encouragements via social media, etc., but also that we teach people how to engage with God daily in their own environments. We want people to know how to read the Word, how to pray, how to hear God for themselves, how to lead their families, how to encourage others in good times and how to self-motivate in bad times. We want them to be like Jesus, which requires we are like Jesus, and create clear paths to achieve discipleship. Discipleship goes hand in hand with what’s next: development.

A great example of this is Blake Gassaway. I don’t know what he loves more, doing ministry or getting better at it. Blake is such a great example of someone who longs to step into what God wants for them, but needs discipleship to help him be the most effective. Over the last year, Blake has worked so hard to allow the Holy Spirit and the Word of God to address thought processes and mindsets he’d grown up with in church. He fell in love with the Word and with the pursuit of being Christ-like. And the result is the discipled began to disciple. He asked Tony over a year ago: Am I ever going to get to do what God built me for? Yes. Yes you will, but bro, you are now, too. He is an example of discipleship being the first step in being developed for God’s purpose.

4. We want people to be developed.
Development is taking what is there, adding some things, taking some things away, and helping mold people into who God created them to be. This includes helping them take gifts, talents, and abilities already in them and strengthening those so they can do what God has for them. This will be easy at times and difficult in others, but development is always worth it. We want our teams to do everything they can to see people reach their highest potential in Christ Jesus. That definitely includes discipleship, but it also includes developing those abilities and skills to help them make the impact God called them to. Truth is, no one is a finished product, but God has called us to help prepare and equip his people to Kingdom building. This helps them fulfill what’s next: taking ownership.

Nathan and Gabby Owens personify this. Not many people look at a cake and appreciate the ingredients or consider the process. Development isn’t always easy as it challenges us and forces us to stretch and grow. They haven’t shied away from hard conversations and the pressure of growing. Stretching and expanding is what development is and that is difficult. It takes a heart that says, “Yes Lord,” no matter what. The result is they have not only been able to stretch and grow, but they’ve been able to take what is inside of them and make positive, eternal impacts in the things their hands touch. Our women’s Bible study, our worship experience, they are better because these two have been willing to embrace development and step into ownership.

5. We want people to take ownership in the Kingdom.
This is more than just leading, more than just playing some role. This is seeing their contribution to and work in the Kingdom as meaningful, powerful, and necessary. We want people to understand that their role in the Kingdom is not just as a participant, but that God has given them stake in the Kingdom and its movement in their sphere of influence. We want people to see that they not only can make a difference and move the Kingdom through their lives and leadership, but that the people around them need them and their leadership, and that God wants them to be co-laborers in his redemptive work in the Earth. We want people to understand they are not hirelings, but sons and daughters who are invited, not just into the family, but into the family business, too. All this happens in the context of this last thing: relationships.

Let me highlight a few people here:
Brandon and Arica - Stepped up when we needed help in Kid’s Ministry, and Brandon has been legendary in his role with men on the men’s lead team. They saw a need and owned it.

Shane and Amanda Stoe - They’ve been with us from early on, but they’ve also endured three massive changes in our youth ministry. This is a big deal as their kids have been in youth that whole time as well. However, they heard God’s voice and made a commitment to make a difference in the next generation and are an integral part of Pastor Edgar’s youth team. They wanted to help make youth great, and they stepped into it.

Christian Kelly - I can’t tell you how happy I am to have Christian at Freedom. Over the course of the last year, he and Callie have been such a blessing to our teams. They both serve on Connect, and Christian also is on the Safety Team, however what really fills me with joy is how impactful his presence and words are in classes like Alpha and Freedom. It isn’t enough to simply attend. He wants to be a part of making the difference. That’s taking ownership.

Hae'lee Canales - She is constantly positive, always fun, always smiling. She gets behind the coffee bar and simply brings the whole environment up. She’s a blessing to every environment she steps into.

Shelby Giberson - She has a gift of being able to see how others are hurting and speak life and encouragement to keep them from going down a hard road. Ownership.

All of these things are possible because of the Holy Spirit and godly relationships.

6. We want people in quality relationships.
We want people to have the relationship with God he longs for and relationships with God’s people that are so needed. We want people to have those experiences that let their guards down and encounters with God that change them forever, but all those great experiences in the foyer and great encounters in the sanctuary most often happen after relationship happens. We want people to be known, loved, and challenged, and that happens in the context of relationships that are deeper than a “hello” on a Sunday morning. That’s what keeps people faithful when it is easier to walk away, engaged when it is easier to quit. The more connect points, the more the likelihood of success, so helping people form authentic relationships is essential to seeing God’s best happen in their lives and through their lives.

Experiences, encounters, discipleship, development, ownership, all in the context of authentic relationships. This is why Freedom Church exists. This is why God has been bringing people. You wouldn’t bring your kids to a daycare that can’t take care of them. We work very hard to actually do all these things we’ve been talking about. More than anything I want to see you operating in God’s best for you.

Here’s the secret to the success:
When you mix obedience with faithfulness with the power of the Holy Spirit, the result is life, growth, the Kingdom being built, eternities changing, Heaven getting more full. God is in this and we are trying hard to be faithful.

And this is why we are expanding again after only having been in this building for one year.

We are to the place where we’ve begun hitting the ceiling just like we did in the old facility. In the old place it was about 260-275. Here it is 575-600. Our second service is always packed, and third is next. We expect 1000 for Easter. What happens if just 200 of those stay? We’re out of room, and that’s just the sanctuary.

New Facility This new facility will give us around 10,000 ft.² of worship space, which is 7000 ft.² more than we currently have, and would create an additional 3000 ft.² of kids ministry space, which is just over half of what we currently have. Our Kid’s classes are full, our discipleship classes are full. Good problems to have, but problems nonetheless.

Let me make it super clear: we don’t want to keep building because it makes us look or feel better. We want to keep building because we want to see more people have those experiences, encounters, discipleship, development, ownership, and authentic relationships you’ve been enjoying.

We want to have a yes in our hearts when it comes to what God wants to do here. I am asking you to have a yes in your heart to what God might ask you to do, as well.

Our costs on the next phase come to roughly $1.4 million. This is only about $93 per square foot. The national average is $300 per square foot. This building should cost us $4.5 million, but we’re getting it built for only $1.4, and that includes a 2.5 acre parking lot.

Make Room Title We are looking to raise $750,000 for this new facility.
We currently have $521,088 in reserves but want to keep $200,000 untouched. This means we are nearly half way to the goal in only 2 months.

So what I'm asking you to do? I simply want to share:
- the evidence that God is moving through what has already been built, which you can see
- the vision behind what we're doing, which I have,
- that you would see our heart and the impact God is making through Freedom Church,
- that you would continue to invest your time and talents in this good ground
- and that you would prayerfully consider giving a substantial over and above the tithe gift towards this project.

When you look at numbers like $1.4 million or $750,000, they can seem so big, and often times, when we’re face with obstacles that seem insurmountable, we can get discouraged, thinking our gift won’t make a difference.

Let me reframe that thought process for a moment, if you’ll permit me.

2 Kings 4:1-7
1 One day the widow of a member of the group of prophets came to Elisha and cried out, “My husband who served you is dead, and you know how he feared the Lord. But now a creditor has come, threatening to take my two sons as slaves.” 2 “What can I do to help you?” Elisha asked. “Tell me, what do you have in the house?” “Nothing at all, except a flask of olive oil,” she replied.
3 And Elisha said, “Borrow as many empty jars as you can from your friends and neighbors. 4 Then go into your house with your sons and shut the door behind you. Pour olive oil from your flask into the jars, setting each one aside when it is filled.”
5 So she did as she was told. Her sons kept bringing jars to her, and she filled one after another. 6 Soon every container was full to the brim! “Bring me another jar,” she said to one of her sons. “There aren’t any more!” he told her. And then the olive oil stopped flowing.
7 When she told the man of God what had happened, he said to her, “Now sell the olive oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on what is left over.”

She had a serious need and money was it. Elisha perhaps could have said, “Go catch some fish and get coins from their mouths” like Jesus told the disciples, but rather, he said, “Tell me - what do you have in the house?” You may have a big need, but perhaps the answer for you is the same as the widow: the answer is already in your house. She had a choice to either stress about the number she needed to trust God. God multiplies obedience not some arbitrary number.

We can often find ourselves in the middle of two sides of need:
As individuals, we have tangible needs. “I am the one who needs something.” We see this in the passage. She had a need.

As the church, we have tangible needs as well. If we’re going to keep reaching people then this is what it’s going to take, tangibly.

She wasn’t asked to do something crazy or even something that would require faith like Abraham. She was simply asked: What do you already have that I can use? What do you have in the house I can multiply?

This is something you can apply to your life whether it's right now in this moment or any other day of the entire year. What do you have that God can multiply to meet the need that's before you, that God can use to perform a miracle?”

Notice when she was faced with a need, she went to ask for help, which is what we’re doing today. Elisha said get empty vessels. She sends her boys and the boys get back with all the empty vessels and there they are at home with all these empty vessels and they’re staring at the one jar with oil.

We have a great need and yet we have filled our home with jars that represent the state we’re in - empty needing filled. It can almost seem as if God was doing the opposite! We need full jars not empty jars! Give? Jesus I can’t give, I need it!

The limitation was not in the supply of oil, but in the lack of empty vessels to fill. God can only fill empty vessels.

The prophet said in the KJV “Borrow not a few.” Well how many is that? 5? 10? 50? 500? If she’d had 3 more, 3 more would have been filled, 10, then 10.

God asked two questions about her need, and he’s asking you two questions today as well:
1. What is the need? 2. What do you have I can use?
Identify the need. Identify what you have. God is not asking you about what you DON’T have. He’s asking about what you DO have. Moses: I only have a shepherd’s staff. David: I only have a sling.

In Matthew 14, Jesus feed the 5000. The disciples say, “We have all these people. Let’s send them home so they can eat.” Jesus says, “you feed them.” They ask, “With what?!?!?!” Jesus asks, “What do you have?” They said, “We have nothing except 5 loaves and two fish.” That’s familiar. the widow said, “Nothing at all, except a flask of olive oil.” Look at our human tendency: We always focus on what we don’t have and we overlook what we do have. “I have nothing except.” God often uses what’s on the other side of “except.”

You know the story. God multiplies it and feeds everyone. They all ate and were satisfied - even the little boy who gave his small lunch.

Jesus multiplied and blessed everyone with what he had, yet if you just focused on what the little boy had, it wouldn’t be enough to feed everyone.

Generosity with God starts with you being willing to bring what you have to him. “Bring what I’ve asked, even if you think it won’t make a difference, then watch what I can do with it when it is in my hand.”

Luke 6:38
Give and it will be given to you, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be poured into your lap. For the measure you use will be the measure you receive.

The Bible - even Jesus himself - is asking you to believe that when you give, God will give in abundance. That doesn’t mean be greedy and give just so you can get. We give trusting that what God says is true, that when I cheerfully give out of generosity and obedience, that God will take care of all my needs, abundantly, passed down, shaken together, running over.

The scariest part of giving is always the first step, which is taking what you have and pouring out to God, trusting that you are being obedient to what he’s asking. Are you willing to be obedient to what he asks and trust that God will work a miracle? Giving requires faith. Are you gonna follow through with what he asks? He promises if we hear him and obey, that as we pour, the oil never stops flowing according to the measure of what we believe God can do with our gift.

God gives to us so we can give to others. God pours into us so we can pour into others. You are blessed to be a blessing.

The most blessed vessel in the story of the widow’s oil wasn’t the ones that were filled. Little Flask It was the one that was given, the little flask of oil. Every drop that filled the empty vessels came from the little jar filled with what they had.

We’ve been praying for you this week. We’ve been praying that you would have a moment where you can experience the miraculous power of provision God wants to pour into you as you hear him and obey as you give.

2 Corinthians 9:7
Let giving flow from your heart, and not from a sense of religious duty. Let it spring up freely from the joy of giving-all because God loves a cheerful giver.

Make Room Title We want to give you the opportunity to give what God has spoken to you. Whether it is online, in the giving boxes in the foyer, or with the buckets today, let’s not just give, but let’s activate our faith to see God do something miraculous today.

Let’s pray.
As you give, let’s celebrate all God has done and all he will do through Freedom and through you.