Category Archive

I’m excited as I write this post. I know I haven’t blogged enough this year but we’ve been fairly busy at Momentum. I’m excited to share what God has done at Momentum with our 2011 Annual Report which you can download directly from this post (it will also be available from our website www.lexmomentum.com).

A couple of things that I want to draw your attention towards as you review our report:

1. Check out the composite sketch of where people have come from!

2. God has blessed us in enormous ways financially in 2011 but we still NEED your financial support in 2012 to continue the growth we are experiencing.

3. The Annual Report covers our progress through the end of September 2011. I wish it included October 2011 because the growth has continued!

To view the 2011 Annual Report, click this link: Momentum 2011 Annual Report

Finally, we are excited to announce that we are expanding our reach from just our Hayes Campus on Sundays at 11AM. We are preparing to go global in November with the launching of our Online Campus on Wednesdays and Sundays at 6PM in 2012! The world will celebrate its 7 billionth person this week as population continues to swell. Technology is making it easier on a daily basis for us to reach a far greater audience with the life-changing message of Jesus than we could have ever imagined 50 years ago. Whether you’re in Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Texas, Canada, Alaska, England, Tanzania, or Ethiopia, we invite you to join us online at Momentum.

p.s. Real people from each of those areas are already downloading our teaching audio. The Online Campus will provide a fully interactive video experience for each!

 To make things more interesting, we searched for churches in Fayette County by location and created a map displaying the church population (below):

It was a “no-brainer” as to where we wanted to plant Momentum. The problem was that we could not find a location to do so. In the meantime, we began meeting in March at the Cinemark 16 Movie Theater at Fayette Mall. Over the past 17 Sundays at the theater we have celebrated as we have averaged 74 in attendance, had 112 individuals attend four times or more, and rejoiced in 5 baptisms, all while hoping to be able to someday make the move towards Richmond Road.

Two weeks ago, our original desired location became available and God moved in the details.

We were excited to announce yesterday that beginning Sunday, September 4, we will be meeting at EJ Hayes Middle School. The school will offer an amazing opportunity for Momentum to grow and swell. We will throw open the doors on Sunday, September 18, for a massive launch campaign.

The school will offer the opportunity for us to more than quadruple what we provide for our Momentum Kids area and provide for a more specially designed worship atmosphere.

We ask for your support in the followings ways over the weeks to come:

1. Pray for Momentum as we begin to introduce ourselves to the community in anticipation of our launch campaign in September.

2. Pray for Momentum as we prepare to throw open the doors for a massive launch on Sunday, September 18, that real lives will find real change for a real forever.

3. Give. If you feel so moved, we ask that you consider a special gift towards our relocation, equipment, marketing, etc. for the new location. Whether individually, as a Sunday School Class, or as a church, any donations can be sent to the following address:

Momentum Christian Church- PO BOX 13683 – Lexington, KY 40583 

 Please feel free to contact me with any questions you might have.

 Tim Cooper//Lead Pastor//Momentum Christian Church 

Dear Pastor Jeff-

I normally don’t like open letters and to be honest, I’ve never written one before so excuse me if I don’t hold to all the etiquette that should follow. I do, however, feel a great need to write this letter to you whether you ever read it or not.

I was saddened to see this photo of your church sign in a tweet by @andyslone today. My prayer is that you’re trying to be funny. My fear is that you actually mean what you say.

Surely you’re not rejoicing in the prospects of someone spending eternity apart from God. Someone stole your AC units? Sorry you got ripped off. Someone could spend eternity apart from God? That should break our hearts.

You’ve spent a lot of time taking shots at churches that don’t do things the way you prefer. You only sing “the old hymns of the faith” and read the KJV “the way the Bible was meant to be read” (which ironically was translated some 16 centuries after the original canon, but who’s interested in the details). I’m not writing this letter to address any of those issues.

Instead, I’m writing because I’m not sure you and several churches across our country understand that we are living in what is probably at best, a post-church society, and at worst, a post-christian world.

In fact, in Lexington, which was the belt buckle of the Bible-belt for a long time, the church has lost ground at an alarming rate in the last two decades as population has boomed above the national average and entire generations have walked away from the church. AT LEAST 7 out of every 10 adults in Lexington have no relationship with a church. It’s on days like this I can understand why.

Our culture in Central Kentucky is incredibly de-churched. They struggle with hang-ups, baggage, and pain caused, in many parts, by actions such as this. How do we claim as a Church (notice the big “C” because your sign impacts us all) to be about love when we smile at the thought of a simple thief receiving some sort of payback by sentenced to eternity in Hell?

One of the problems unchurched individuals have with the church is that they see us as smug, judgmental, hate-filled, and angry. I can’t help but think how many thousands of cars have driven by your sign today just to be assured of those attitudes and forever turn off the idea of giving Jesus a chance.

I’m well aware that you have had an amazing impact on certain communities and countless lives in Lexington through your long ministry at Clays Mill Road Baptist Church. But for all of us representing different branches and arms of the Church, could you change your sign and be more prudent next time? What you say impacts us all.

Most importantly, what you say, has the possibility of impacting someone for eternity.

Tim Cooper//Lead Pastor//Momentum Christian Church

When April and I attended an assessment in Baltimore early last Fall to determine whether or not we should proceed as a church planting couple (whatever that means), one of the instructors told us that we would never know what to expect on a weekly basis for the first six months. I have to admit I blew him off to some degree.

I thought I knew exactly what to expect last Sunday. It was the first weekend of Fayette County Spring Break and we had 8 families on the road traveling. UK played a nail-biting, heart-breaking loss, that didn’t end until nearly midnight the night before. We were set for a pretty discouraging day and even told our volunteers in the pre-service prayer time not to be discouraged.

Well, I was wrong in a big way!

As the parking lot began to fill we met 10 new first-time adult visitors on a day we weren’t expecting anything! 3 of our 10 new friends even registered for Community Groups on the spot!

God’s vision and plan for Momentum continues to be bigger and bolder than ours as our community continues to grow one by one! We’ve now had 163 people attend Momentum once, 93 attend twice, and 83 attend three times!

We’re becoming an actual church. We’ve already received indications from some about their intentions for Decision Day on Sunday, April 17. We’ve had the opportunity to visit and pray with hurting people. Our worship experiences continue to be moving each week!

We’re also becoming an actual community. 19 families are currently enrolled for our first session of Community Groups! Our softball team is mixed with Momentum members and friends exploring Momentum. We’re preparing our for our first Easter Egg Hunt (which will be announced in the next couple of days). We’re preparing for TeamMomentum to gather, enjoy a Pasta Party, and run/walk the Bluegrass 10K on the 4th of July weekend (get your shoes ready)!

We’re also becoming known in the community. This week, we’re taking a major step forward in moving towards the support of Assurance, the crisis pregnancy-help center in Lexington. We began a new phone marketing campaign on Monday calling 35,000 homes over the next two weeks and have already received contact information from 45 families that want to know more about Momentum!

As excited as we are about what we’re becoming, I can’t help but think God is even more excited!

Don’t forget to bring a friend this week as we continue asking questions and seeking real answers about Jesus!

Can’t wait to see you Sunday!

 The time has come!

 I’m excited to share with you my new book, Awestruck: Life-Altering Encounters With Jesus. The book focuses on Jesus’ encounters with real people and the real change that occured in real lives as recorded in the Gospel of Mark. 

The book will release Tuesday, May 10, and will be available through your local book retail location, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and anywhere else that books are sold.

 Before I share some early comments about the book, I want to share something special about the book.  Every penny of proceeds from the book will go towards a very special cause to our family- bringing our daughter, Abby Kate, home from Ethiopia to join her forever family. We are in the process of adopting and I hope you’ll consider that if you purchase a copy you are directly impacting real lives!

 Here’s what some are saying about the book:

 ”Tim Cooper knows the Word of God and has the gift of putting it down on the   ‘bottom shelf’ where everyone can be blessed by it. In his latest book he does just that as he takes these ‘Jesus encounters’ in the gospel of Mark and shows how they  can transform your life, marriage, home, and church.”

- Wally Rendel, Director of Church Relations, Cincinnati Christian University

“This latest book is just another reason I believe Tim Cooper is one of the best young leaders in the church today. His insight coupled with his understanding of Scripture result in a compelling tool for today’s journey.”

-Philip Ling, The Ling Group

“When you encounter Jesus one-on-one, your life changes forever. It really does. As you read these pages you will clearly see that Tim’s life has and yours can, too!”

-Mike Breaux, Teaching Pastor, Heartland Community Church

I’m incredibly honored by each statement. One of the goals of the book is that it will be applicable to followers of Jesus and those unsure of their path at the same time. Mark’s Gospel is a tremendous starting point and discipling tool at the same time. It is my prayer that Awestruck will both meet you where you are and challenge your journey in the end. It’s very readable and a great length for readers of all interests and levels.

Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll be posting a few excerpts here on the blog.

If you would like to help bring Abby Kate home, pre-order an autographed copy for $1 off retail by clicking here. Thanks!

Check out a video produced by our son Trace’s school, Western Elementary. He was the camerman.

This is a huge day!