THEME:
An important question is: What does God want to do through us—together—as Ridgewood Church in 2026? God doesn’t just give us dreams—he invites us into his work. And there is deep joy in discovering that we don’t chase those dreams alone. The deepest joy in life is found when we are working alongside of God.
KEY SCRIPTURE:
Nehemiah 1:1-3
Nehemiah 1:1-3
The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it happened in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Susa the citadel, that Hanani, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah. And I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said to me, “The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.”
Joy begins when we name what’s broken and bring it to God
Nehemiah 2:1-5
In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. And the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart.” Then I was very much afraid. I said to the king, “Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ graves, that I may rebuild it.”
Joy in working alongside God is found when we walk courageously in his will
Nehemiah 2:17
Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision.”
Nehemiah 2:20
Then I replied to them, “The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem.”
God’s work is eternal, but at times he graciously allows us to glimpse his power
Ridgewood Church Goals and Dreams for 2026
- Invest in the next generation
- Develop leaders
- Continue to invest in global missions
- Deepen our spiritual health
- Work hard to increase our witness to our community
God’s work is done together—and that’s how it will happen at Ridgewood