Here To Stay: Commitment Sunday

March 8th, 2025/Casey Middle School

Leading up to moving to Boulder to start Pinewood Church we met with friends and family and began to share about the vision of starting a church in the heart of the city. One by one people came on board with the vision… people not from Boulder, people who have never even visited this place came on board and said I’ll give, so that you can go. I’ll give so that the people in Boulder will have the opportunity to know God. That’s powerful.

Every step of the journey up to this point was miracle after miracle. God’s provision through the radical generosity of a few.

After meeting people in the city for 3 months and acclimating our family to a new context, we began Sunday gatherings. The church hadn’t officially launched, but I’m a firm believer in “start small, start now, and stay faithful”. *pic of first service. It was a small group, no more than 14 people (including kids). Week after week we would set up, tear down, and do it again. And aren’t you grateful for the team that kept saying “Here I am God, use me.”

Today is not about reminiscing on the past, but about looking ahead at what God is doing next. It’s about recognizing that this is a significant moment in the life of our church

The reality is that God used people that did not know anyone in Boulder to resource a family to become missionaries in a city and plant a church. He then used a very small group of people that gave sacrificially of their time, resources, and talents to build faithfully for the last 6+ years to get us to this point.

I’m confident that we are moving into a new season, one that will mark us for generations to come. Today is one of those days.

Here’s the position we are in right now. We are not new to this city anymore. But we’ve committed to plant roots. We’re not new to serving our neighbors. By the grace of God we’ve hosted 89 Love Boulder initiatives. We’ve held 380 Sunday gatherings. And we have a serve team of 107 men and women of God… not including our world changers in PNWD Kids. That’s 107 people with influence in this city. That’s 107 people with friends and family members that they are believing will come to know Christ.

What could happen if we could see this moment as the starting line. We’re not the type of church that is going to settle just because things are going well. We’re not going to allow ourselves to get comfortable by playing it safe. We are a faith church. We believe that there’s so much more in store if we step out in faith and trust God. We are Here to Stay, not for our benefit, but for the benefit of those that haven’t walked in yet… who have yet to hear the Good News of the Gospel.

TRANSITION INTO THE MESSAGE

What got us here was faith. What will keep us here is faith. And today, we step forward into a defining moment—not just for us, but for those who will come after us.

Passage: 1 Chronicles 29:10-18 (CSB)

David stands at the end of his reign. He won’t be the one to build the temple, but that doesn’t stop him. Instead, he calls the people to give and to trust God for the future. What we see is a model of worship-fueled obedience, faith, and legacy-building generosity.

THREE FAITH COMMITMENTS WE MAKE TODAY

1. We Recognize God as Our Provider (v. 14) – This Isn’t Ours to Begin With

• David prays, “Who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this?”
• Everything we have comes from God—our generosity isn’t about loss, it’s about worship.
• Here to Stay isn’t about simply funding a vision—it’s about surrendering to a bigger story of what God wants to do in our hearts and in this city.
• Call to Faith: Will we trust that God is our provider, not just for today, but for generations to come?

2. We Trust in God’s Bigger Story (v. 17) – This is a Heart Test

• David says, “I know, my God, that you test the heart and that you are pleased with integrity.”
• This isn’t just about giving—it’s about faithfully positioning our hearts toward what God is doing next.
• We’re stepping into a season where obedience matters more than comfort.
• Call to Faith: Will we trust God with the future of our church, our families, and our city?

3. We Leave a Legacy (v. 18) – This Will Outlast Us

• David prays, “Lord God of our ancestors… keep this desire forever in the hearts of your people, and establish their hearts toward you.”
• What we do today is about more than us—it’s about those who will come to know Jesus because of this moment. It’s about the future builders of the Kingdom of God.
• Illust: Passing down generosity to future generations.
• This is why we’re not just committing—we’re lighting a symbol of our faith, believing that God will use this church to shine in Boulder for generations.
• Call to Faith: What if today was the defining moment for someone’s future faith story?

*Advance Commitment Video

CALL TO ACTION – RESPONDING TO GOD’S INVITATION

• Now it’s our turn. Just like those who gave before us, today we step out in faith.
• Commitment card
• Prayer of blessing
• As you come forward, place your card in the basket as an act of worship.
• Then, light your light on the tree—a symbol that we are here to shine the light of Christ in this city.

CLOSING PRAYER & WORSHIP

• Prayer of Dedication – Thank God for His faithfulness and pray for His blessing over the commitments being made.