Our Community, Our Mission
Our Community, Our Mission
Ep #246 – Learning, Loving, Living: Serving with Lighthouse Bible Church
In this episode, we sit down with Pastor Tim Wilson of Lighthouse Bible Church in North Topeka. Pastor Tim shares the core beliefs that shape his church—Learning, Loving, and Living—as well as the church's deep commitment to serving the local community. Since its founding in 2005, Lighthouse Bible Church has supported the Topeka Rescue Mission and actively engaged in outreach programs like Operation Backpack, foster care, and the Trash Mountain Project. Pastor Tim shares personal stories of transformation, including his own journey from addiction to faith, and emphasizes the importance of a church that is open, welcoming, and committed to serving those in need. Join us as we explore what it means to build authentic relationships and a faith community where anyone can come as they are.
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Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you, Lord, for this day and your blessings, your provisions, God, we thank you for this time and this podcast. Lord, thank you for God, just the work of the local church, Lord, and what you're doing through them. Lord, thank you for our special guest today and, Lord again, we just pray your blessing over this time and that our listeners who hear it today, God would be moved to action, Lord, in some way. Lord, we just thank you and praise you for this time in your holy name, Amen.
Speaker 2:Hello everybody, thank you for joining us on our community, our mission, a podcast of the Topeka Rescue Mission. This is your host, barry Feaker, here on Wednesday, november 6th of 2024, episode number 246. Good morning, lamanda Broyles, good morning. How are you today? I'm good. This is two weeks in a row that we've actually been on the podcast together.
Speaker 3:I know, I know. So I think maybe we just skip all of those quiz things that we normally do.
Speaker 2:Okay, well, we're not going to do that, so we do have a special guest today. But you know, people as we, about this day of November the 6th, right? I mean, some people just don't know really what to do with the day until they listen to this podcast. Oh, that's true. Yeah, so, and if you missed it on November the 6th, you can go back and wait a year for these to come back around again. So the amazing research and development department, which has a app called Google, was able to come up with these today and LaManda. I really think this is one of my favorite things about today. It's National. What day?
Speaker 3:It is National Nacho Day. Oh man, I'm telling you Nacho business, Barry.
Speaker 2:Nacho business Do you like nachos? I love nachos yeah, who doesn't love nachos? I've never seen you eat nachos. I love nachos. Yeah, who doesn't love nachos?
Speaker 3:I've never seen you eat nachos.
Speaker 2:You're from Arkansas, that's right. Listen Grits and what.
Speaker 3:No, grits are gross. That is the one Southern thing I probably do not eat.
Speaker 2:Our guest is over here like can't believe you're saying that.
Speaker 3:We're coming into this good friends. He might not be my friend now, not be my friend now, but do you know, my favorite thing on nachos is actually chili, chili and cheese nachos.
Speaker 1:You have to eat those kind of quick so they don't get mushy yes, and cold, not cold meat.
Speaker 2:So you can have plain nachos with cheese, you can have chicken, you can have beef, you can have pork In your case, you can have chili and grits and you can have jalapenos Do you like jalapenos. Well, some I like jalapenos. Sometimes they don't like me much. So anyway, if you are listening to this, on November 6th, you can go to your favorite nacho place and get them.
Speaker 2:Qdoba did something very special for today a rescue mission here this week, which was awesome Actually. I went there in the evening and it was still packed, and what great food. Yes, it was awesome. Yes, actually, I went there in the evening and it was still packed, and what great food.
Speaker 3:Yes, it was delicious and they were just a well-oiled machine. Oh they are Just the efficiency and time and kindness customer service. I actually had two meals in one because, I had tacos, but then I made when it would fall apart and stuff like that. It was so good I had dip on the sides. Then I had nachos.
Speaker 2:Yep, so see my point, that's right, yeah, so we should do that again today. They have a drive-thru over here in Topeka.
Speaker 3:I know that's right.
Speaker 2:So it was their grand opening of their second location in Topeka.
Speaker 3:And the proceeds all came to Topeka Rescue Mission. Of all sales, that's a lot of sales, it is, and you know, in addition to that, barry they, which is already just a magnitude of a blessing but they also let us put up Christmas barrels there to take any kind of Christmas donations from our needs list.
Speaker 3:They allowed us to put a lot of different papers and flyers that we had, and one of our newest ones that we are trying to pilot right now are just some strategies kind of based off of trust based relational interventions, but really centered around how do we just have positive relationships, how do we build that? And so one of the sheets we left there, anybody could take, you know, regardless of what job you interface with or something but really four or five different intentional things that you can do when interacting with someone, and maybe someone who's in a struggle, how do we connect and find common ground? So they let us put all of that up, and then they even let us put a tip container, a donation container, and that is all going to the rescue mission.
Speaker 2:I didn't know that.
Speaker 3:And they are. Yes, we took it to them yesterday, so there's a QR code If people want to donate to the rescue mission online.
Speaker 2:I did tip, by the way, I did it on the app. Okay, just so you know.
Speaker 3:That's right, so we did that, and then they are leaving all of that up all week.
Speaker 2:Wow, that's amazing. Well, when they opened their first store on Wanamaker, they did it for the Topeka Rescue Mission, and I don't know how many years ago that was, but they've done it again. Same owners, same guys doing the management.
Speaker 3:I believe you said it was 08. Yes, chuck said that. He did that with you all in 2008.
Speaker 2:It's the first time I ever had three cheese queso was there, and so I've been having quite a bit of that since 08, apparently that was more last night, that's right. So anyway, national Nacho Day, it's also National Team Manager Day, and you know, as I was reading through this LaManda, we think of maybe executive director or coach or parent or whatever. These are the folks that kind of just help manage the team, not necessarily the head leader.
Speaker 2:On that, and so you've got a number of managers here at Topeka Rescue Mission, the head leader on that. And so you've got a number of managers here at Topeka Rescue Mission. Just talk about the importance of people who maybe aren't a director, a deputy director or executive director, obviously, but managers, you know, honestly I'm not sure.
Speaker 3:So when I read through this and it kind of talked about glue that holds people together, and the people that are just kind of doing the stuff, maybe unseen, and all of that.
Speaker 3:You know I'm going to branch out a little bit and it's going to make me sound mushy, but we have, you know it fluctuates any between 65 to 78 employees, and all of them exhibit that. I'm not sure I could name one staff member at all that I would say well gosh, I've never just seen them do the right thing, or I've never just seen them be a team player and go above and beyond, or I've never seen that employee do something to help someone else. It's like the heart of the rescue mission. They all do all the time.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And then I think you know they're just incredible and they do so much with so little. When we look at it from earthly things right, you know, we're all on budgets and we're on this, but when you are empowered with the Holy Spirit and our own testimonies of how we're transformed, you're empowered, you're equipped. And so I see all of our staff just be managers of systems, of things, of people, their own walk with the Lord, and I think sometimes we also overlook our volunteers.
Speaker 2:On that, I was going to say there's volunteers like-.
Speaker 3:Standing in the gap.
Speaker 2:Mobile access partnership yes. Who are managing the showers? Mm-hmm. Who are managing the clothing? Yes, and you know those kind of things that make a big difference. Well, I don't know what this third one has to do with the first two, in regards to our research and development department, of looking at November the 6th as being important, but it's National Saxophone Day.
Speaker 3:Well, you don't play saxophone when you're eating nachos.
Speaker 2:I don't think that that's probably what I would have pictured. Josh, what does R&D knew how to play this once. What does that mean?
Speaker 1:That was, I believe. Isaiah apparently knew how to play the saxophone once.
Speaker 2:Oh, research and development, okay, wow, I'm on it today, y'all Okay.
Speaker 3:Why don't we start these at 5 am? I don't know that's right, I'm not sure. Do you know? There is a professor in Arkansas, don Bailey, and I had him for a couple of classes in college a long time ago, almost 20 years ago, but he was incredible and he stands out to me because I actually was in the middle of losing my great grandmother to cancer.
Speaker 3:And that's just a weird transition being a freshman in college and scholarship recipient and working three jobs, that kind of thing. And I remember one day he just came up to me and said should you be here? And I looked at him because I hadn't said anything and I said, well, yeah, I'm in class today, Mr Bailey. He said, yeah, but do you have some stuff going on? And I said, well, I have a sick grandmother. And he said you'll always have the opportunity to take classes, but you won't have the opportunity to be with a sick family member.
Speaker 3:And I left and he marked me excused and she passed away that afternoon. And so he stands out to me. But one of the things that he and his wife do every year back in Arkansas is they play these Christmas grams and he plays the saxophone and he travels to people's houses and sometimes it's planned and it's part of family's routines and traditions, and then other times someone will pay for him to go and it blesses another family and he'll play like two or three songs on the saxophone. It's beautiful, it's just incredible. I'm not gifted like that.
Speaker 2:I tried the accordion once. Didn't work Anyway. So one last thing before we get to our guest today. Lamanda is here, we are in the first full week of November, we have Christmas coming up, and so I didn't even talk to you about this for any updates, but it's going to happen again. It is Well, we think it will, we're planning on it, and so what do people need to know about Christmas at the Rescue Mission? When I say at the Rescue Mission, it's community and everything else. But and how can people get involved in either helping and or giving?
Speaker 3:Sure, you know, as we think about Christmas, we think about just the gift of our savior. You know the birth of him, and when we tie that then to all of the functions that we do at the rescue mission, when people do anything to partner with us, it is literally like they're giving us a gift that keeps giving. And so if someone is listening to this and wants to donate your time, we need volunteers, and I can tell you we need volunteers working the Christmas parties that we're having for the sheltered and unsheltered. We need people helping us make Christmas bags, putting them together. We probably will need some volunteers to go out and help us deliver. We need volunteers helping us continue to do the normal work I hate the word normal, but the normal work we do, because none of that stops. We just add this on.
Speaker 3:But what's incredible about if you want to come volunteer, you're volunteering for that, but you just never know how God's going to use that to then bless in another way, whether it's yourself, whether it's someone else, through conversation, that kind of thing. So volunteers are definitely always needed. Our needs list is on the website. It is current. We are updating that everything from food items to clothing items. You know, one of the big things we do at Christmas is we believe that all of the children in our shelters should get a new outfit on Christmas, and we're averaging between 35 and 50 children a night and I anticipate that to probably uptick by possibly 10 to 15 children. It happens every year when it gets colder and the holidays. So you know we need donations of food items, toys all of that's current as well.
Speaker 2:That's on the website.
Speaker 3:Yes, and we also can't just skip over Thanksgiving because we're blessed, we participate in the community Thanksgiving. It's a way that our guests and unsheltered neighbors can be a part of something bigger than just the rescue mission. You know, the rescue mission belongs to our community. We're here to serve our community. So we're working on all the logistics to make sure that everybody can participate in that.
Speaker 3:But another thing that we see is an uptick in people accessing our community, basically the community food pantry, the distribution days on Tuesdays and Thursdays around the holidays. So again, making sure that we have uh volunteers to run those distribution days, packing the food bags, handing out the food bags, um, and you just never know where even that goes. You know, you hear the stories and we're just seeing it. We're seeing it more and more where people are trying to make a decision between food and a car payment, food and that electricity bill. And the Rescue Mission just wants to be a place, particularly around the holidays but all the other days as well that there's just no shame, there's no guilt, holidays but all the other days as well that there's just no shame, there's no guilt.
Speaker 2:Something I heard you say the other day in relationship to the Qdoba announcement is that providing food for people who are struggling to make the car payment, the house payment, is homeless prevention. You can help somebody be stabilized to be able to get to work, not lose their housing, by providing some groceries. That is homeless prevention, so we don't have more people on the streets and in the shelter.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and you know just some things that I think sometimes we take for granted. But on the other days, but also sometimes during the distribution days, we also have women coming to our door asking for feminine products. You know, and, barry, I just never, as the executive director, want to overestimate how compassion and trustworthiness impacts people's ability to to receive what they need. And you know, without going into detail, you know I have a lot of experience and things from even my own growing up and stuff. But you know, barry, I've never had to be a female that had to go and ask for something that was a necessity, and so our staff just are doing these food lines or they're doing the Christmas bag deliveries, whatever is what we're planning. But then there's all of these other incredible opportunities for us to be sensitive and caring. But that's also. The individuals need a place that they know they can go to ask for the toilet paper, the cleaning supplies, feminine hygiene, all of those things. Supplies, feminine hygiene, all of those things.
Speaker 3:So I guess what all I'm trying to say is there is never a short need here at the Rescue Mission, regardless of its donations, volunteering time, finances.
Speaker 2:As you're talking, I'm thinking about, and we will get to our guest here in a moment. So hang in there, buddy. So the world's in turmoil. Our country is challenged. People are kind of a little bit concerned about a lot of things, duly concerned about a number of things. So maybe not so much, but there's something about just helping your neighbor. There's something about and we hear this from volunteers all the time.
Speaker 2:They love to volunteer. People who can't volunteer can give financially and materially, and there's something about that that we can do something that's empowering to people. They can pray, they can tell other people about how they can help. And when you can't control a lot of things you just can't control, sometimes you can control what you can do to help yeah. And so there's a lot of opportunity to help. So if you're listening right now and you're just like man, it's just like things are a mess.
Speaker 2:You know I got to go turn on Netflix to escape, or something. You can do something that's going to be of far greater value for you personally even, as well as you helping your neighbor.
Speaker 3:And that's one of the blessings of just being here is we see God take people's yeses and make it a big yes. And so I mean we have people who financially donate to us $2.25 a month and then we have, you know, gifts that are once a year and very large. But what is amazing is that when people just do what they can do, whether that is through prayer, whether that's through sending our staff a card you know, just a couple of weeks ago it was. I know this is going to shock you, barry, but I had a rough day. I know you never had a rough day, why would you have?
Speaker 2:a rough day.
Speaker 3:But I opened up and I came into my office and I was just like man, the needs are great. I'm going to be honest. I asked God, like God, are you going to come through? Are you going to come through? Because it's always this balance of remaining faithful and having faith for the Lord to provide. But then you have to also walk with action. I mean, I can't just sit and think the budget's going to make itself or whatever, and so I remember going God, are you going to come through? And I sent my person out of my office and I said Lord, God, are you going to come through? And I sent my person out of my office and I said, Lord, I love you so much, but, man, I'm just not sure this isn't looking good.
Speaker 3:And I turned around and, on my little stool, thing by my chair was two cards and I opened one up and it was from a volunteer that just said you are on my heart. I had to write you this note continue doing what you're doing in our community. Your team is incredible, that kind of thing. Then I opened up the next card and it was from a very loyal volunteer that we had. She watched a speaking event that I just did at Grace Point Church. They gave me an opportunity to talk in a series that they did, and she sent me a card and she said that was exactly what I needed.
Speaker 3:Thank you for reminding us that God equips those that he calls and doesn't call the equipped. And so you know, I have my little reality check love tap from the Lord. Um, but I say that because anytime a card is sent to us or a letter, whether it goes directly to me or if it's about our team, I share it. So if it's thanking our team for what they did, or if it's a compliment about our newsletter, those kinds of things, that's another way people can be involved, Because sometimes, when you're on the trenches, it doesn't always feel joyful, it doesn't, and so there's just so many ways that you can help us be a part of the community to take care of the community.
Speaker 2:It was said before, ministry is messy, but Jesus is in the midst of the messy.
Speaker 3:Yes, so we're not alone. Yes.
Speaker 2:Well, speaking of ministry, we have Pastor Tim Wilson, who is the pastor of Lighthouse Bible Church, with us today. Pastor, thank you for joining us on our community, our mission.
Speaker 4:Hey, thank you for having me.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So we like to highlight some different ministry partners and what people are doing in the community, and so tell people who don't know what is Lighthouse Bible Church. Where is Lighthouse Bible Church? Why is Lighthouse Bible Church? Oh, that's big. Yeah, so Lighthouse Bible Church.
Speaker 4:Why is Lighthouse Bible Church? Oh, that's big, yeah, so Lighthouse Bible Church we're located in North Topeka, on the corner of 62nd and Highway 75. We started the church in 05, and so we celebrated 19 years this year. Wow, congratulations. Yeah, god's been good, and so we started the church to minister to God's people. Of course, all churches do that, but we really focus on three essential things as our mission of our church, and that's learning, loving and living. Learning, being discipled, loving our neighbor, and that is to pick a rescue mission, volunteering, yes, and then living out the gospel, which is evangelizing and showing people Christ and all that stuff, and so, yeah, so that's what we do, and so all of our ministry is everything we do focuses around those one of those three. So any activity we do or I say activity, that's probably not a good, because we have all kinds- of activities.
Speaker 1:But I mean as far as ministry wise. So if we do a ministry thing in, say, activity, that's probably not a good because we have all kinds of activities, Sure, but I mean as far as ministry wise.
Speaker 4:So if we do a ministry thing in our church, it's going to focus around one of those, whether it's discipleship, whether it's evangelism or whether it's serving. And so we try to, we try to get involved a lot in serving our community. Talk a little bit about that. So we do a lot of things. So one of course we support you guys, speaker Rescue Mission. We have since we started. I mean, I've known you pretty much since we started.
Speaker 2:You're the original pastor. Yes, sir, yeah, because we started it.
Speaker 4:My wife and I started the church, okay and so, but I remember coming here and I would preach the chapels that you guys would have. Uh, we've served in the kitchen. I also did the um. Oh, what does that class you guys do where you train people?
Speaker 3:Uh, was it the sit program?
Speaker 4:Yes, and so I did that for a while, um, and starting out as a church and, of course, really, really small, we were meeting in the not Elmont Rochester West Indianola Elementary School.
Speaker 1:We met in so many places.
Speaker 4:It was like for six years so like for six years, we moved from these schools and set up so you've always been north.
Speaker 2:Yes, we've always been north and so anyways.
Speaker 4:So I got involved here and did a lot of things and even rode every Tuesday with Justin when Justin was here, yes and so I used to do all that. But then we started growing, I started getting busier and I had to kind of come back. But so we do that. We also were involved in Lunch Buddies, which is the bridge.
Speaker 3:You're aware of the bridge. Oh yeah, I'm sure.
Speaker 4:Yes, chris is a cool guy. He's awesome.
Speaker 3:We love him until he takes some of our employees. Then we become frenemies, that's right.
Speaker 4:Yeah, so we're involved with Lunch Buddies, and so we have Logan Elementary School that our kids, that our adults go to.
Speaker 2:And that's where volunteers are trained to go be a buddy with a kid during a lunchtime in school and just kind of be there with them. Yeah, yeah, and it's been.
Speaker 4:I mean, I get reports from one of our deacons that kind of heads all that up. I get reports from one of our deacons that kind of heads, all that up, and he gives me reports all the time of how the kids are being affected and how the volunteers that we have are. Just, you know, they love what they do. So we do that. And then we're also involved, really involved, with Topeka North Outreach and so more of that which is called Operation Backpack and so more of that which is called Operation Backpack. So every month, on the first Wednesday of every month, me, one of our deacons and another guy in our church, we take our trucks to Sam's, we load up pallets of food, take it to Indian Creek Elementary unload, and that Thursday we all gather and there's churches and there's organizations all over that come and help sack bags of food for the children in poverty here in North Topeka, and so we're highly involved in that.
Speaker 2:So yeah, and then foster care, that's a big one for you guys.
Speaker 4:Yeah, so we have a lot of people in our church that did foster care. My wife and I kind of started it out Kind of long story short. We wanted more children. We had two biological boys, wanted more kids. We've been through six miscarriages and after that sixth one we've always wanted a little girl and we found out. My wife carried long enough to know we were having a girl and that was hard. So that was tough.
Speaker 4:So we were empty nesters for a while and somebody said, hey, we guys considered foster care and adoption. We're like no, never you know, and it's weird, as a pastor you don't. It wasn't in your wheelhouse when you're a circle and you think about it. So they were like, yeah. So then we got involved in that. We did foster care for 10 years, had about 30 something kids come through our home and we adopted Caleb and Sierra.
Speaker 3:We got them when they were five months old and they're 11 now.
Speaker 4:That does not seem possible, I know right. So they're growing like crazy. And then Matthew, who we have. We got him when he was five days old out of the hospital and he's six now and we're done. We now have five kids and I'm 58. And so I was like I told my wife, I was like you understand that when Matthew graduates I'll be 69.
Speaker 2:So, I was like walking down with a walker, that's right. So, tim, have you extended that into adopting these kids too? Yeah, so we have adopted, so you've adopted.
Speaker 4:Foster care is where you started with these children and we adopted the three and so, because when we got involved with that, then I got heavily involved with KVC and I was on their boards, and then we of course got involved in our church and we had several families that started doing foster care. We got them signed up and trained.
Speaker 2:I used to do the training too. You kind of led by example in doing this, yeah, and other people joined on.
Speaker 4:Yeah, so I got big in that. And then we have several families that have adopted and we even have now a fund and we've had a fund in our budget that we help families who want to adopt that are a part of our church. If they want to adopt, we now have a financial fund that helps them financially to adopt.
Speaker 2:There's a great awareness of adoption as well as foster care needs around the country. There's some national stuff that's going on right now to draw attention to this for the body of Christ. You guys have kind of already been there. You are there If a church wanted to know more on what you guys have done, because, if I understand correctly, it's not just you have some families in the church that are fostering. You wrap around those families as a church to support the foster families. Is that correct?
Speaker 4:Yeah, so we had a lot of families definitely do that, with my wife and myself cooking meals, helping us at the house.
Speaker 2:So it's just not like oh, there's those good Smiths and Joneses over there who are doing foster care. We're part of the Joneses and Smiths who are doing foster care as a body of Christ, and so if somebody wanted to talk to you guys about that, do you have an opportunity to talk to them about it?
Speaker 4:Oh, please, just give me a call. I'd love to chat with them about it. Oh, please, just give me a call. I'd love to chat with anybody about it.
Speaker 2:So some place and I can't remember where it is but they have a goal in their county reducing the waiting list for foster care to zero. Oh, wow, you know where that is LaManda. Okay, yeah, it's our church. Talked about that here the other day and had a video on it, so there's more coming there. Talked about that here the other day and had a video on it, so there's more coming. There's going to be some stuff, I think, coming out on the different social media platforms. So you guys were involved in Trash Mountain as well. Trash Mountain Project.
Speaker 4:Yeah, that's true Trash Mountain Project. I'm sorry, my office is in Trash.
Speaker 4:Mountain Project. Yeah, so that's another one. We're highly involved with Trash Mountain Project. My office is in their building that we have on our property, and so we're highly involved with them on missions trips. We support the schools in oh my gosh, what's the name of those countries? There's so many. There's like the Philippines, there's Dominican Republic and so forth, and so there's schools that are there that we highly support. Honduras is the one, and so we do the school there, and yeah, so we've built homes, wells, dug wells and stuff like that.
Speaker 2:So yeah, so it's not just that North Topeka church out there, that's on 62nd Street.
Speaker 2:It's actually that's the home base, yeah, so that you branch out. So you talk about that's kind of how you're living out in community. How are you living internally? What's the body like there Internally? What's the body like there? You're talking about learning. Obviously that's what we do in church, is we learn to follow Christ and what the Bible says. Obviously you have Bible in your title Lighthouse, bible Church. So that's pretty definitive. And then the loving and the living what's it like inside the four walls?
Speaker 4:Of our church. Yeah, so I'm very blessed as a pastor, very, very blessed when it comes to the serving part. You've heard the whole 80-20 rule in a church, that 20% do 80% of the work or 100% of the work and 80 aren't involved. In our church, I did a thing where I took up all of our members of our church and everyone who's serving we are actually at I think we were at 57-point-something percent of our people serve in our church in some function in some way, whether it's being an usher, a greeter, teacher, everything. 57 percent of our church. And I was just like, oh my goodness, I can't believe that, but so it works, if that's what you mean by how it works in our four walls is that people serving inside the four walls or is that both serving inside and out?
Speaker 4:No, that's just serving inside just serving inside the walls of our church. We have 57%, and then I haven't done a percentage on how many outside, but we do have a lot of people that serve on the outside.
Speaker 2:Right, just some of those things you mentioned that you're doing. That would be evidence that sometimes they're one-offs and sometimes they're ongoing. If you're digging wells in Honduras or wherever I mean that's, that's serving outside those walls. How do you um in this um day and age when there just seems to be a lot of tension. How do you? You talk about the learning part, you talk about the living part, but what about the loving part? What does that mean?
Speaker 4:Ah well, the loving is for us. Um, the loving is really the serving one another. And I'll even go beyond that and talk about the loving in our church. We are a non-denominational church, so we have all kinds of people that come to our church and we gladly, please come from it, doesn't matter your background, it doesn't matter anything. Gladly, please come, Doesn't matter your background, doesn't matter anything. And so I will say our church is a very loving church because we love everybody that comes into that door.
Speaker 4:And they know that, as a matter of fact, we have a time of greeting in our church. And when we do have guests in our church, my wife and I are the first ones that visit with them. We take them a pie and say thank you for being our guest. What time's your service? Wife and I are the first ones that visit with them. We take them a pie and, you know, say thank you for being our guest. So so, anyways, we, when I go to him, I always ask him, I say say, you know what brought you to Lighthouse? You know, how'd you hear about us and all that stuff? And I said so what keeps you coming back? And they say your church is so friendly. You know, we, we, we genuinely feel love from you guys, and so I'm grateful that the Lord has blessed us in that manner, that we love people where they are. We are not that church that says you know, clean up before you come, Come as you are.
Speaker 1:And.
Speaker 4:I don't mean that, like you know, in your dress. I'm saying who you are as a person. Come as you are and let us love on you. Share the gospel.
Speaker 2:And so I think that's really important. The big C church has not got a great reputation in that regard, and so there's a lot of people that the rescue mission works with, lamanda, there's a lot of folks that you work with, whether it's outreach or inside, that have been hurt by church, and so to know that you can come as you are. So, lamanda, I know that you asked Pastor Tim to come to be here today, so talk about what he means to you and what he means to this ministry.
Speaker 3:You know, I think when I think about Pastor Tim, I also think about just his incredible wife Dina. Dina is she's awesome. Yes.
Speaker 3:She's awesome and she is. She has such a sweet demeanor about her but also with a spunk and a laughter and a funness. Dina is just someone you want to be around and I have been involved with Dina with very serious conversations. I've been able to be with her in social settings and seeing the fun side of her, be with her in social settings and seeing the fun side of her. But what is consistent with her is this innate desire to serve. And so you never just see her standing, you never just see her sitting. She's just always wanting to lend a hand, she's always wanting to be a part of something.
Speaker 3:And so you know, I've been in their church as someone attending. I've been in there in regards to kind of some foster care stuff. I've brought my daughters there and then I think when you have that example in, not only your pastor but also the pastor's spouse, it trickles down. And so the next thing, you know, when you first walk into Lighthouse Bible, you're going to be greeted and I'm not like a good morning it's hey, do I know you? We're glad you're here, want some water? We've got this, we've got that.
Speaker 3:And then you're going to meet about another 10 people once you get into the sanctuary and then when you look around in the middle of all of that, you're going to see Pastor Tim doing it and you're going to see Dina, and so to have the blessing and the privilege to know them inside of their church walls, to have also been in their home, shared a meal with them, have kids going to the same things you know, this summer some of them went to the same camps just things like that.
Speaker 3:They're consistent, and so people like that mean a lot to me personally, as I'm an individual walking out my testimony and my journey and just to know that you have authentic friendship matters, and just to know that you have authentic friendship matters. But then, as my role as the ED, I don't want to say this. When we want to lead people sometimes it's staff, sometimes it's volunteers, and many times it's those we're serving, it's volunteers and many times it's those we're serving when you're wanting to lead them to the next step of fellowshipping with Christ and trying to explain to people that attending church in a building is not the answer, but being a part of what the church is intended to be is so crucial is so crucial.
Speaker 3:And, barry, I don't know how to say this without seeming a little controversial, but there are so many in churches that I would not entrust our people who are dirty, our people who look different, our people who are may talk different, all of these kinds of things, and it just shouldn't be like that.
Speaker 3:We are made in God's image and that is Imago Dei, and so it doesn't say that someone is made in the image of Christ if they are this ethnicity or this denomination, or never an addict or a big bank account doesn't say that. And so when I think of Lighthouse Bible, from one the viewpoint of attending it on several occasions, but then to knowing the character of not just him and Dina, I know several people of the congregation, actually a couple that I'm not sure if they've joined or not, but they have been frequently visiting. There were out here serving at our fall festival, driving the tractor, and then, when she got off from the bank, she came here to volunteer. When I think about a church like that, I know the least of these of our community would be welcomed there, and to me that just stands out.
Speaker 2:I think it's really important. I was going to ask you the question, tim, why would somebody possibly want to come to your church? But LaManda just answered that. I'm humbled, thank you. Yeah, so that's huge Tim.
Speaker 2:we kind of pivot here Um uh you guys are involved in a lot of things. Um, you're overseas, the trash mountain projects, uh, headquarters is on your property there, your offices in their building. They uh, um, minister, and trash dumps around the globe. Where people live in those dumps. I mean it's like you guys are sleeves up type people. We have a growing homeless concern. Even though Lighthouse Bible Church is not in city limits, it's in the county. A number of your people, I assume, probably live within the city limits or around populated areas, but the homeless issue and concerns that we're seeing locally as well as nationally have grown a lot.
Speaker 2:From your three L's. I'll call them the learning, the loving, the living. I like those. I think it's really to digress there a minute. I think that in order to learn how to love well and to live well, we need to learn first.
Speaker 2:What does the gospel say? What does the Bible say, what is the model of Christ? And you kind of got that order in the right way and then teaching people you know what does it mean to love, because sometimes it doesn't come natural, and then go out and live it. What do you think? That the responsibility is not responsibility, the opportunity, maybe, responsibility of the body of Christ in regards to the homeless concerns that we're seeing here locally, a person who's an elected official not here but feels like there's no role for government in helping the poor or helping the homeless because it's all the responsibility of the church and they're a Christian.
Speaker 2:My counter to that was okay, I may agree with you, that is responsibility of the church, but is the church equipped to do what they haven't been asked to do very much over a very long period of time? If you want to roll it back, january 8th 1964, the great war on poverty was declared. Government says we're going to take care of this, and a lot of people that go to church today really don't know what to do. So that's a long way around the bush here. But what would you say for Lighthouse Bible Church and your leadership, as well as other churches? What should we be doing as the body of Christ? To see our neighbors out here who are suffering and to get in the game to see if we can do something?
Speaker 4:That's a good question. I do think the church has failed in some way when it comes to when you said about you know, should the church be doing this? Is the church equipped? And it's not. And I think it goes back to a lot of pastors do not. It's not in their wheelhouse, it's not their focus, so they're not preaching it, they're not teaching it. And again, I don't want to sound contradictory, what's that word?
Speaker 3:Contradictory.
Speaker 2:No Controversial.
Speaker 4:Controversial. Okay, you'll learn, it's our community. I can ask that I don't know, if you go to our church long enough, our people will tell you. I struggle with words.
Speaker 4:I know what I want to say, but it just won't come out and I don't mean to sound controversial, but I'm afraid that the church today has been more concerned without getting people in the chair and building a kingdom of their own instead of building God's kingdom, and I think that what's happened is pastors aren't teaching hate. You know the homeless, those that are needy, the poor, the suffering. They need Christ, they need love. They need Christ, they need love, they need support, they need food. I'll be honest and this just hit my mind not to get off track, but I am so grateful Our kids. This is honestly God's truth.
Speaker 4:Every night I sing to my kids and we pray. So I do, every one individually. So my daughter loves Christmas music, so I sing her a Christmas song. And then my son, my other son, caleb. He loves to hear Amazing Grace. It's like every night's Amazing Grace, never anything different. And then Matthew does I do. Jesus Loves Me. But after I sing, I say okay, it's your turn to pray after Daddy sings. And so every single one of my three kids no lie, this is not me teaching them, this is not saying that. Make sure you have this in your prayer. You know what they say. They say father God, please help all the homeless and those who don't have food and help them, and that's I mean. I'm like, you know, as a dad.
Speaker 4:I'm like yes, my kids you know, and they're 11 and six, you know, and they're praying that prayer and so maybe they catch it from me, you know, as a dad, because we talk about that stuff. But I'm just so thankful that my kids have are praying that and they pray that every night, and so I think it could be part of that. Pastors are not teaching it to their children, to their parishioners, not teaching it to their church that, hey, the homeless matters and we need to. You know a lot there's. You know Matthew 25, you know, when you do Just a little, you've done at least as you've done me Hungry, thirsty, prison, all of that stuff, and so we need to live that out and I know that you know Christ when he was speaking of that, speaking of Christians.
Speaker 4:But we also need to look at that in our community and so with us. Unfortunately, we're way out in the country, so, like you know, we're way up north and so we don't have homeless in the country, it's mainly here in the city, but still, that's why we support you guys. But we want to be able to do more and I think we need to let pastors know, let churches know hey, this is a church thing. And we do need to do this because even from the Old Testament to the New, we're told to care for the poor right and the widow and all of that.
Speaker 4:And a lot of people don't, I think too a lot of people don't. They don't see homelessness the way they should, because a lot of people look at homelessness they're a bunch of bums and you know no good. You know yada, yada, yada when they don't understand. You know the mental illness and the addiction. Hey, addiction's real, you know. I know about that because my life, you know, before coming to Christ, you know I was cocaine pot. You know alcohol. You know my life was every weekend and throughout the week, you know drugs, throwing my money away and or going up my nose, you know. And so when I came to Christ, I can, I can relate with people with addictions and that deal with that stuff. And that's where we have to look at like, hey, you know, these people need help, they need love and the biggest thing, they need love. You know.
Speaker 2:Just like everybody that's sitting in a pew. Yeah man Chair listening online. Whatever the case might be, everybody is facing struggles. Yes, everybody's got some brokenness, but we like to live in this plastic society where everything is Facebook, pretty and not let people in. But sometimes they don't let them in. We don't want to let them in because we might get hurt.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but if there is an intentionality to teach the word, to love and to live it, then there's an opportunity there. Yeah, and that's. But you guys are already doing a lot of that. There's other churches that are kind of looking at spectators. You know, they're in the bleachers, you guys are on the ground to do this, and so I think that we've got a long haul here. But you know, god sometimes sometimes says better get with it, and I think now's the time better get with it in regards to this issue.
Speaker 4:Yeah, we're coming into the last days, I think, so we need to get busy.
Speaker 2:Yeah Well, Tim, thank you for being here today and thank you for what you're doing. You unwrapped a little bit of your testimony there that Christ came into your life. Before we leave today, talk about you have been in addiction before. You made some decisions that were probably not the wisest things to make, and here you are, pastor of this incredible church today, so they didn't go out and go. We don't have anybody to do this job. Some churches do that because we don't have anybody to do this job.
Speaker 2:Some churches do that because they can't have anybody fill the pulpit, but this is not your case. What happened?
Speaker 4:So I'll try to make a long story short.
Speaker 2:I don't know how much time we have, but people may leave us after a period of time.
Speaker 4:So, yeah, so I was. I was doing smoking marijuana since I was 10 and got heavy into stuff and cocaine and then acid and things and so, but anyways, I met my wife, dina, you know, and she's always been that sweet, that woman you talked about, that's how she's always been. But there was a time in our life that she rebelled and she was rebelling against her parents, against the Lord, and but she met me and I met her and I wooed her, if you will, and we became boyfriend, girlfriend and kind of. I know this was going to sound bad, but we lived together for a year. She got pregnant with our first son and when she got pregnant she was like, okay, I need to get back with the Lord, I've been living wrong. And so we got married and she started back in church Sunday morning, sunday night, wednesday night Um, I was still somebody wooed somebody else.
Speaker 4:And so she. So I was still smoking a lot of dope. Um, I was able to hide the cocaine, the cocaine, but I couldn't hide the fact that we had no money. So I had an excellent job with Coca-Cola, I was an account manager at Coke. But here we were, I was losing my car and living in a single wide trailer with holes in the floor, just everything was. I was blowing everything away and so, anyways, she went back to church and she tried to get me to go to church and I was like, no, it's not my thing. Me and God are like this. I'm not a bad guy, I haven't killed anybody, but I always thought I knew God. And then, finally, one Sunday, I was like, okay, just to get you to stop, I'll go and I'll never forget. I went to that little itty bitty Baptist church, sat on the back row, had my Marlboro Reds in my front pocket.
Speaker 1:And.
Speaker 4:I couldn't wait for the preacher to stop. I'm ready to go smoke, and so I can't even tell you what he preached. I don't remember what he preached, but, barry, it came real to me that Jesus loves me, and it came real to me that he gave his life for me. And it's like here I am 23 years old and I've heard all that stuff before, but that day it hit me.
Speaker 4:And I never forget. I got up out of that pew, the pastor gave an altar call and I walked forward and I'm bawling like a baby and he can't. He says what are you, what are you coming for? And I said I need to be saved. And so, of of course, he led me through the sinner's prayer and all that stuff and I was baptized that night and God just got a hold of me and six months later I surrendered to preach, went to start going to seminary and started working for pastors and then, yeah, I started pastoring.
Speaker 4:We're from Florida, so I was pastoring in Florida. We did that there, and then, right before we came here to Kansas, I was a concert. I did a lot of concerts and preaching, traveling around the US for four years. And that's how we came here to Topeka, because we came here twice doing concerts and singing, preaching, and I was like man, this is awesome, I love Topeka. And so when we decided to bring our boys into a stable environment off the road, we chose here in Topeka. And so here we are now.
Speaker 2:So this became real to you and that kind of explains why you're open to people coming in as they are.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, very much so, Just as they are. And so, Tim, thank you for sharing that. I mean that's you couldn't go from where you were to that without there being a major God intervention there. And so you know, some people are struggling right now, probably listening to this, or they have a family member, a friend. They just can't quite get there. And I didn't hear any treatment, rehab programs or anything, but those have value, but you had an encounter with Christ, the creator of the universe, who called you out of that, and six months later you're going off to seminary. That's pretty good stuff. So but anyway, thank you for what you're doing. Thank you for joining us today on this.
Speaker 2:And just thank you for being what you guys are a lighthouse. So thank you, Thank you, Thank you all for joining us for our community, our mission. You've heard from Pastor Tim Wilson Lighthouse Bible Church in North Topeka on 62nd Street. If you just go down the highway and turn a left, if you're coming from Topeka, if you're going to Holton, turn a right and you'll find them right there. Tim, what service times?
Speaker 4:We have two services one at 9 am and then 1030.
Speaker 2:9 am and then 10.30. 9 am and 10.30. So it'd probably be worth a trip out north to see that, if you're not already living in that direction. If you'd like more information about Topeka Rescue Mission, you can go to the website at trmonlineorg. That's trmonlineorg. Thank you for being a part of and listening to our community, our mission.