Nonprofit Highlight from Emily Ruth Perry

Hello Veritas Church!

As the Deacon of Local Partners, I wanted to take a moment to highlight an organization that is doing great work to love and serve the city of Fayetteville. Greater Life of Fayetteville is not a formal Local Partner of Veritas Church, but it is a wonderful nonprofit in the city that serves at-risk youth. Veritas has supported them previously by donating the profits from the Christmas Market for the organization. 

GLOF offers free after school tutoring for children who are struggling in school, as well as support care for students who have gotten an out of school suspension. They also have a robust summer program that includes field trips, gardening, learning experiences, and character building activities. GLOF is housed in the historic Orange Street School, which was the first black school in Fayetteville during the segregation era. 

Greater Life of Fayetteville also does engagement programming for adults. In fact, this Saturday, April 25 they will have their “She Shaped Me” Women’s Event from 11a-2p. This event will remember and celebrate the women who have made an impact on our lives. This is free and open to all, it’s a wonderful community event to participate in! 

GLOF is also looking for volunteers and paid workers through the end of the school year; bus drivers and tutors for students. If you have any interest in supporting or serving with Greater Life of Fayetteville, reach out to their Executive Director, Georgeanna Pinckney at director@glofnc.org. 

Best and blessings,
Emily Ruth Perry
Deacon of Local Partners | Veritas Church

April 2026 Partner Updates

UPDATES FROM PASTOR JACOB

Hey y’all, 

In the next few weeks we are going to be launching a giving initiative to raise the additional funds necessary for the roof repair. Two Sundays ago I communicated our financial position, our need to address the roof, the anonymous donor that is committing to give $100k, and how people can help by praying and giving. I am happy to report that there have already seen some encouraging signs that we will communicate over the next few weeks.

PRAY
First, I want to ask you to commit to praying for this giving initiative and that we would see growth in the area of generosity among our people. Additionally, I want you to be in the know first about the rollout of this giving campaign. Since we don’t have all the estimates from vendors, we don’t have the target goal for giving quite yet. Please pray that they follow up with us soon and we can make the best decision for our situation.  

GAME PLAN

The game plan as it stands is to continue to update the congregation about our financial position on a biweekly basis (or monthly at minimum) to keep us all informed. Then when we choose the vendor and have a dollar amount we will roll out the giving campaign for the additional amount to be raised for the roof. This will be a three month campaign where we will ask our people to make a commitment to give and then collect the funds as they follow through with their commitment. All funds that are given to this campaign will go to the cost of the roof repair and any surplus will go to other building related needs (A/C repair, fencing, etc.). 

VENDER VETTING

So far we have quotes from two vendors: Karcher Roofing and Strickland Roofing. If you or someone you know have worked with either of these vendors we would appreciate any feedback you have with them! To let us know more about your experience with them just send me an email at: jacob@veritasfayetteville.com. 

OTHER UPDATES: SERMON SERIES, SUMMER, OIAM
We are currently in week 3 of our sermon series in our series God’s Design for the Family. We will be moving from Ephesians to the book of Genesis looking at God’s blueprint for humanity. This series will take us through the month of May and conclude on June 14th with a look at the culmination of all things in Revelation, an eternal family reunion with Jesus. After this series we will return to our normal pattern of walking through a book of the bible and this summer we will study the New Testament letter of Philippians. We hope you look forward to our upcoming sermon series and invite your friends and neighbors to join us! 

Also, a friendly reminder that we are coming to the end of our Community Group semester at the end of May. Not all groups are on the exact same schedule so be sure to connect with your CG Leader for more details on what they plan to do over the summer. And speaking of summer we are excited to share more details on events happening during the summer months. Two of which will be in partnership with Deep Impact (a ministry of NC Baptists on Mission). Deep Impact “engages students (grades 6-12) and adult leaders in Gospel-Centered, Mission-Focused, Life-Impacting opportunities through pre-packaged mission experiences”. 

  • Deep Impact One Day Outreach Event - June 13, 8:30a-3:30p - This is an event for kids of our church and other local churches to get involved with serving the community done in partnership with the ministry of Deep Impact. More details and registration info to come soon! 

  • Deep Impact Park Ministry - July 21-24 - during the day at our very own Glenn Reilly Park - We are partnering with Deep Impact again to host a VBS style park ministry for kids in the Glen Reilly neighborhood. More details and ways to get involved to come soon. 

  • Neighborhood Block Party - July 26 - after the Sunday Gathering. - In conjunction with the Deep Impact Park Ministry we are inviting the Glen Reilly neighborhood to come to church and fellowship with us afterward enjoying food from local vendors. We hope to have food trucks, music, and plenty of new faces to welcome from our neighborhood! 

Lastly, as we have communicated to you, we are formally ending our partnership with Operation Inasmuch. We continue to be hopeful for meaningful change within their organization but have not seen substantive change with the implementation of a HR policy or changes to financial transparency. For clarity if you still desire to serve that organization, please do not hesitate to serve there with our blessing. We are just no longer able to support them financially at this time. 

Thank you for your partnership with our church. Your faithfulness, hard work, and generosity does not go unnoticed or unappreciated. 

For the fame of Jesus,
Jacob Warren | Lead Pastor
jacob@veritasfayetteville.com

Excerpts from the Church Admin: What It Is I Do Exactly

Let’s be honest. When you think about an administrative assistant for a church, you might think of someone buried under stacks of hymnals, printing paper bulletins, and telling people they can’t use the fellowship hall on a Tuesday. Seeing as how we don’t use hymnals, we don’t print bulletins, and we don’t even have a fellowship hall, maybe that isn’t what you think. Maybe you think I am just the person who just answers phones and collects the mail, and you would be partially right. I am responsible for those things. However, my position here at Veritas is so much more exciting than just that. I am a matchmaker, a trailblazer, and a treasure hunter, or let’s be honest - a very enthusiastic, hopefully highly-effective beggar for Jesus. 

Let me explain.

  1. Matchmaker - Making Connections that Matter!

    1. The most important job I do here at Veritas is connecting people. From first time guests, to those looking to serve or join a community group, or people starting on the path to Partnership here at Veritas, I get the privilege of welcoming people into our church family.

  2. Trailblazer - Navigating through systems and processes to find a better way!

    1. If you have ever dealt with computer software of any kind, you may know the struggle of trying to get it to work to its full potential. After a little over seven months in my position, I have watched multiple tutorials, attended a multitude of webinars, and done a lot of independent trial and error to help streamline the way our system and processes work here at Veritas.

  3. Treasure Hunter - Searching for Grant Opportunities Galore!

    1. As I mentioned in our last update, I was recently tasked with searching out grant opportunities to assist with some areas that Veritas could use some extra help funding.

      1. Security and Safety 

        1. FEMA offers a grant to nonprofits to use for safety and security purposes. This grant would allow us to make improvements like fencing, parking barriers, improved entry/security systems, and so much more (see the previous month's Partner Update for more details).

      2. Roof repair or replacement

        1. Looking into green energy grants through solar.

      3. Playground possibilities

        1. This is simply an idea on the back burner as the first two are taking precedence at the moment, but our hope is to be able to acquire funding to add a fenced-in playground area where our picnic table currently stands.

You didn’t know that my position was so exciting, did you? Maybe you aren’t convinced by my wordplay, but that is okay. I am ever so grateful for the exciting opportunity to serve my family here at Veritas Church!

YOUTH, WORSHIP, AND FACILITIES UPDATES FROM KEENAN

If you would like to reach out to Keenan, email him at keenan@veritasfayetteville.com or call/text his cell phone at 757-268-4405

VERITAS KIDS UPDATE FROM REAGAN

COMMUNITY GROUP AND BIBLE STUDY UPDATES FROM SAM

Hi all!

Veritas Community Groups have always been one of the primary avenues for discipleship at Veritas. Community Groups meet peoples’ homes throughout the city of Fayetteville all throughout the week. My hope is that our community groups are places where people can gather in smaller settings, pray together, read God’s Word, and have the opportunity to build formative community with one another. Being a member of a community group does require a level of vulnerability with other people, but your reward for vulnerability is deep friendship with like-minded Christians who are serious about growing together in holiness. What a beautiful thing!

Community Groups are set up to operate on a ‘semester’ schedule. Groups meet together February - May, they take June and July off of formal meetings, they meet together again August - November, and take December and January off. We have found that this schedule works well for most people because of holiday and travel plans during Christmas and summer times.

If you are in a community group, be sure to have a conversation with your group about your plans over the summer. Some groups like to continue to gather for social gatherings (like mine!), but other groups pause all meetings until the next semester. If you are not in a group, I want to highly recommend that you let me help you find one to plug in to. Meeting regularly with God’s people is such an important aspect of discipleship. Please email me so I can help you.

I do plan on hosting another Community Group Leader Training Event on July 12. Let me know if you’re interested in being trained as a leader?

Also, our Bible Studies are finishing up their study in the book of Galatians next week! You might be wondering what the differences between Community Groups and Bible Studies are. In a nutshell, the focus of community groups is to spend time in formative community with other believers at Veritas Church. Alternative, the focus of Bible Studies is to spend time in formative study of God’s Word with other believers at Veritas Church. Community groups focus more heavily on community, and bible studies focus more heavily on study. Both ministries spend time in God’s Word, both ministries spend time in prayer, but the intent and focus is different in each setting. That is why we offer both options!

Beginning in the fall, Veritas Bible Studies will spend 8 weeks studying the book of Deuteronomy. I am PUMPED for this study, and I hope that you will make plans to join us in the fall.

The last thing I want to share is that I want to have some kind of regular social get together over the summer so that our community group and bible study people can have the chance to brush shoulders with one another while we take a break from regular meetings. I would love to meet together at the church building on Wednesday evenings, or maybe even open my house for get-togethers. If you have thoughts about what those get-togethers could look like, will you send me a message? I’d love to chat.

Cheers!
Samantha Metheny
Director of Operations | Veritas Church
samantha@veritasfayetteville.com

Financial Update

Here is a brief Q1 financial update (Jan-Mar 2026)

Average monthly income: $34,469
Average monthly expenses: $42,495

You will receive Q1 Giving Statements from Cassie this week

March 2026 Partner Updates

Hi, church!

I have spent some time thinking about ways that Veritas Church staff and Elders can give our Partners more opportunities to be informed about our ministries and resources. Partner Meetings are one way that we try to keep everyone informed, but we are seeing a need for more regular communication about topics that matter to Covenant Partners. We can only accomplish so much within a 1.5 hour event!

In order to supplement Partner Meeting communications, we have decided to send out monthly updates for you. You can expect to hear from every staff member about what we are up to, and you will probably also hear from Lay Pastors and Volunteers when the need arises!

With all of that said, welcome to the first iteration of our monthly Partner Update novels… I mean emails.

-Samantha Metheny | Director of Operations
samantha@veritasfayetteville.com

UPDATES FROM PASTOR JACOB

NEW SERIES: GOD’S DESIGN FOR THE FAMILY

You should know that in just a few weeks we are going to preach through a series called God’s Design for the Family. This will be a 10-week journey through the bible exploring how God forms, shapes, and redeems His people as His family. From eternity past, God’s plan has been to adopt us through Christ and place us in a spiritual household where every believer belongs. This series will examine His good design for marriage, singleness, and parenting, showing how each reflects His character and purposes. We’ll also see how God’s grace meets us in brokenness, calling families to faithfulness, forgiveness, and mission. Ultimately, human families point beyond themselves to a greater reality—our eternal union with Christ. Join us as we discover how to live as God’s family now with our eyes set on our future yet to come.

EMILY RUTH IS BACK!

Emily Ruth Perry is back safe from Bolivia! She had a blast teaching, serving, and exploring in the city of Cochabamba. We are looking forward to opportunities for her to share about her experience and encourage others to join our Spring 2027 trip.

EASTER SUNDAY IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER

Easter Sunday is coming up soon and I want to challenge you to invite your friends, neighbors, and co-workers to come worship with us. This is a great opportunity for us to steward well and welcome in new faces. Additionally, in an effort to serve others well, we will need teams across all areas (but especially Kids) to be fully staffed so we can serve guests and first time visitors well. We will hold a special 8a gathering to allow those serving to worship before serving at the regular 10a gathering. Help us make Easter a joyful celebration of the resurrection for everyone!

For the fame of Jesus,
Jacob Warren | Lead Pastor
jacob@veritasfayetteville.com

UPDATES FROM KEENAN MICOL

Watch this video update from Keenan about what’s going on in Veritas Youth!

Roof Update: As we shared at the last Partner Meeting, our insurance company denied our claim for insurance coverage on our roof. We are now seeking estimates from local roofing companies for repairs or replacement. If you have any recommendations for reputable roofing companies, please let us know.

Grounds Team Update: I want to give a huge shout out to Mike Hazen and Bret Newmeyer for their leadership over the grounds team. Mike and Bret have helped us take care of the resources that we have been given, and we are thankful! We could use a few more grounds team members and donations of weed eaters if you have any extras laying around.

Worship Update: This semester, we’ve been doing a worship cohort to intentionally raise up and equip new worship leaders to be able to take the mantle of leading God’s people effectively in worship. We have been going through “Worship Matters” by Bob Coughlin which talks about what it’s like to worship privately and corporately. This resource talks about how worship fuels our gathering and the mission of God’s people to see the gospel shared through the corporate gathering. It’s been a meaningful time! We do have some volunteer needs that we would like to fill, so if you are gifted instrumentally or vocally please email me to get involved.

Keenan Micol | Veritas Youth and Worship Director
keenan@veritasfayetteville.com

VERITAS KIDS UPDATE FROM REAGAN

You can reach Reagan by emailing reagan@veritasfayetteville.com

Financial Update

At our last Partner Meeting we updated you guys about our average monthly income, average monthly expenses, and the status of our roof. My (Sam) plan for these partner update emails is to continue to include these basic numbers to you monthly. You are always more than welcome to email me at samantha@veritasfayetteville.com if you have any detailed questions or would like more details!

Please keep in mind that we will not receive the numbers for March 2026 until around April 15, 2026. This data reflects January and February 2026.

Average monthly income: $35,060.50
Average monthly expenses: $43,293

You guys will receive Q1 Giving Statements around April 15 from our fabulous Administrative Assistant, Cassie.

GRANT UPDATE FROM CASSIE

Non-Profit Security Grant Program

If you were unable to attend the most recent Partner Meeting, you may not know that I have been tasked with searching for grant funding opportunities for Veritas. One of the main areas we are hoping to be able to utilize grants is in improving the safety and security of our building and surrounding areas. Sam was able to locate a grant that is offered by FEMA “to help nonprofit organizations prevent and protect against terrorist and other extremist attacks (Ministry Boost).” It can offer up to $200,000 for things like security cameras, alarms, access control (doors), barriers, fences, bollards, blast-resistant doors & windows, contract security, and training.

The staff is working in conjunction with the Safety Team leads to identify areas of Veritas where these funds could best help secure the church.

The Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFO) has not been posted yet, but should be within 60 days of the government approving the budget. I will keep you posted as we move forward in the pursuit of these funds. Please help me pray for God’s will and blessing in this process.

Cassie Dows | Administrative Assistant
cassie@veritasfayetteville.com

8 Money Milestones Financial Class

Hey church family!

We want to invite you to join us for our 8 Money Milestones group. This program is designed for everyone, regardless of your current financial situation. Whether you are feeling financially stressed or are in a stable place, the 8 Money Milestones will help you understand the purpose of the resources God has provided us.

You see, this program is not just about getting out of debt, although that's a crucial part for many. It's about gaining a deeper understanding of why God has entrusted us with money and how we can use it to glorify Him. 8 Money Milestones helps us align our financial practices with biblical principles, fostering a healthier relationship with our finances and with God.

The 8 Money Milestones program is also about deepening our walk with Jesus. As we learn to manage our finances wisely, we become better stewards of the gifts God has given us. This journey will not only lead to financial health but also spiritual growth, drawing us closer to God's heart and His will for our lives. 8 Money Milestones is also an excellent tool for those who feel called to help others with their finances. By participating, you will gain valuable knowledge and skills that you can share with friends, family, and our broader community, extending the impact far beyond your own household.

Sign up on the sign in sheet in the auditorium or email life@veritasfayetteville.com. This is a six-week program and we will be meeting every Sunday at 2pm at Veritas, starting 22 March.

We encourage each of you to consider signing up for the 8 Money Milestones program. Let's embark on this journey together, growing in faith and financial wisdom.

Thank you,
Kyle McFarland
Lay Pastor | Veritas Church

Nate Booth
Covenant Partner | Veritas Church

2026 Bible Reading Plan

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, [17] that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16–17 ESV)

One thing that can honestly be said about Veritas Church is that we are a people who love the Bible. We love spending time in God’s Word, we love learning from God’s Word, we love meditating on God’s Word.

In 2025, several members of Veritas Church read through the entire Bible chronologically using the CSB Chronological Bible Reading Plan. This reading plan allowed us to see how the entire Bible shares one consistent story of God’s work redeeming all things to Himself through the person and the work of Jesus Christ.

In 2026, we would like to change things up a little bit. Instead of reading through the Bible chronologically, we are going to read through the Bible using a Bible Reading Plan that was put together by one of our Covenant Partners. This plan assigns chapters in the Old Testament, Wisdom Literature, and New Testament every day. Reading the Bible this way allows the reader to experience the richness of Old Testament history as well as the beauty of the New Testament simultaneously.

Another benefit of the Bible Reading Plan that we will use this year is that you can choose to read the entire plan as assigned OR you can choose to read a single category of the plan. We understand that reading 4 chapters every day can be difficult during some phases of life, so this plan allows the reader to customize their experience based on their current needs.

So, join us! Click here to download the 2026 Bible Reading Plan.

If you would prefer an easier-to-read version, you can click the links below to download one handout per month.

Lastly, I want to invite you to join our 2026 Bible Reading Signal Group chat. One of the healthiest ways to read God’s Word is by reading it in community with other believers. I cannot tell you how beneficial the 2025 Signal Chat was for my personal growth and development. Veritas Church members were able to chat with one another every day about highlights from the text, we were able to share questions about difficult passages, or we were able to simply encourage one another to just keep reading. Click here to join our Signal chat or email me at samantha@veritasfayetteville.com for further instructions.

I look forward to reading the Bible with you in 2026!
Samantha Metheny
Director of Operations | Veritas Church
samantha@veritasfayetteville.com

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