REACH: How NorthRidge Church Will Reach Our Community

Every one of us, reaching one

Close your eyes for a second and think of one name. Maybe it's the coworker who's been carrying more than he/she lets on. The neighbor you wave to every morning but have never really talked to. The cousin who used to sit beside you in church and hasn't been back in years. The dad you stand next to at every ball game.

You already know who it is, don't you? Hold onto that name. This whole campaign is about them.

REACH is all about sharing Jesus, one name at a time. It's a five-step path that helps each of us walk with one person from the first prayer we pray for them to the day we're growing in faith side by side.

REACH isn't for a few gifted people or for the staff. It's for all of us. Whether you've called NorthRidge home for ten years or walked through our doors for the first time last month, you have a place in this. Kids can pray for a classmate. Students can invite a friend. Parents can open their homes. Grandparents can share stories of God's faithfulness. Greeters, worship team, nursery volunteers, and everyone in a chair on Sunday each know someone the rest of us don't.

Every one of us was once the person someone else prayed for. Now it's our turn.

Why REACH

Most of us want to share our faith. Many of us just don't feel ready. We picture one big, high-pressure conversation, so we wait for a moment that never quite feels right.

And when we do reach out, it's easy to stop at one of two places:

•      The invitation. A friend comes to church once, but nothing carries the relationship further.

•      The decision. Someone says yes to Jesus, but no one walks with them afterward, and their early growth stalls.

REACH closes both gaps. It treats sharing our faith as a relationship that unfolds step by step, and it makes discipleship part of the mission, not an afterthought.

REACH at a glance

Each letter pairs something God does in our hearts with something we do for others. Each one also has a color you'll see on our slides, posters, handout cards, and ping pong balls.

The steps build on each other, but they aren't a race. Some friends will move quickly from prayer to an invitation. Others may need months of us simply showing up before a conversation about Jesus feels natural.

The five steps, in our own lives

R: Recognize and be ready → Pray

It starts with noticing the people God has already put around us: coworkers, neighbors, family, teammates, the folks we see every week. We ask God whose name to carry, and we pray for that person by name. Romans 10 reminds us that people can't believe a message they've never heard, and someone has to bring it. That someone might be you.

E: Empathize → Invite to church

Ephesians 2 asks us to remember that we were once far from God too. Holding onto that keeps our invitations humble and sincere. A simple "Come sit with me Sunday" can change someone's story.

A: Act → Acts of service

Romans 12 calls us to meet real needs and practice hospitality. A meal when someone's sick, a ride, a mowed yard, an open front door. Love like that opens hearts that words alone can't.

C: Connect to Jesus → Evangelize

At some point love has to be spoken. We share the good news of what Jesus did on the cross and what He's done in our own lives, just as Mark 16 sends us to tell everyone. You don't need a script. You need your story and His.

H: Help them grow → Discipleship

Saying yes to Jesus is the beginning, not the finish line. Philippians 2 calls us to look out for the interests of others. That means reading Scripture together, praying together, and making sure every new believer finds a place to belong here. Don't just point them in the right direction. Lead them.

A name on a ball, a ball in the glass

To make our commitment visible, we're filling a clear glass with colored ping pong balls. Here's how to take part:

1.     Think of your person. Pray and ask God whose name to write.

2.     Pick your color. Grab the ball that matches the step you're on with them: green for praying, purple for inviting, blue for serving, pink for sharing the gospel, orange for discipling.

3.     Write their name. First name is fine.

4.     Drop it in the glass. That ball is your commitment to keep reaching.

Every ball in that glass is a real person in our community. As the weeks go by, we'll watch it fill up and change color, from mostly green to more pink and orange as relationships grow. When your person takes a next step, come grab the next color.

Who's your one?

You don't have to reach everyone. You just have to reach someone. When each of us reaches one, together we reach our community.

NorthRidge, this is our moment. Pick up a ball, write a name, and let's REACH together.