Meet Josh

We have seen many new faces around Veritas Church! Praise God! We know that it can be hard to get to know leadership sometimes, so we thought that it would be fun to do a blog series introducing each staff member and a few fun facts about them. This week we want to introduce you to Josh Murray, our Worship Ministry Assistant!

What first brought you to Veritas?
We moved to Fayetteville in July 2017 for my job at Fayetteville State University. After a few months of church hunting, my wife Kendra discovered Veritas online, and we visited the following Sunday. The worship and expository preaching were refreshing, and after attending several gatherings we decided to call it home.

Tell us about your role at Veritas.
As the Worship Ministry Assistant, I help to coordinate the Worship Ministry at Veritas. In addition to leading worship for the Sunday gatherings several times each month, I also audition new band members, oversee band leaders, and plan liturgy for church gatherings.

What are some of your hobbies?
As you might expect, I love playing music and writing songs. I’m in a local band that plays around the Fayetteville area regularly, and those nights are always a blast. I also love playing video games, especially with my kids. (I even teach a Video Game Storytelling course at Fayetteville State.) And, as a Georgia native, I’m a huge fan of the Atlanta Braves. Baseball season is the best time of the year, and the 2021 World Series was glorious.

What’s your favorite beverage?
I drink at least two to three cups of coffee a day, which definitely makes it my most consumed beverage. I’m also a sucker for sour beer, especially anything from Edmund’s Oast.

What is the last fiction book that you read?
When it comes to reading for fun, I enjoy crime/detective fiction. I’m currently reading through all of Michael Connelly’s books, several of which were adapted into the TV series Bosch. The last novel of his I read was The Poet.

Pray for Ukraine

Hey Veritas family, 

As most of you are already aware, the Russian army has invaded Ukraine. There is a lot of uncertainty the world and the US are currently facing. There are many questions about how this is going to affect us domestically, whether our military will end up engaging with Russian forces, and the list goes on. Despite all this uncertainty, we can trust what the Bible says and rest in the sovereignty of God. It may not seem like God is in control or that he is absent while things like this go on, but remember God works in ways that we can’t understand. In Habakkuk 1:1-7 we see the Lord answer when Habakkuk questions God’s goodness and sovereignty by telling Habakkuk “Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told.” (I am not saying Ukraine is being punished for breaking covenant with God like Israel in this passage.) We do not need to fear, for we know that He is in control over all things. If you are struggling in this season with anxiety over the uncertainty, turn to Jesus’s teaching in Matt 6:25-34. Yes, it is literally talking about material needs, but in it Jesus reassures them that “your heavenly Father knows [what you need]. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness." I am convinced that the anxiety of material things from this text applies to all anxieties.

With the uncertainty we face, I ask you to take a few minutes and remember the people of Ukraine and lift them up in prayer to our Father who hears us. We cannot begin to imagine having our homeland bombed or under attack from artillery fire, but that is their current reality. Let’s pray for them. They are losing their lives, their families, their homes, their neighborhoods, and more because of a tyrant. Pray there will be a quick resolution to this conflict, for the safety of the people, for the steadfastness of their army and government, for their government to make wise decisions, and for our brothers and sisters in Christ to have peace and be able to boldly proclaim the gospel of Jesus to those who are hurting. It is Jesus who can give the Ukrainian people what they truly need most, a spiritual salvation.       

For those of you who are deployed, we are praying for you and your loved ones here at home. We will do all we can to support them in the ways we know about so you can focus on doing your job over there. If you know your loved one needs something but doesn’t like to ask for help, please let us know for them so we can help. For those who have loved ones deployed, we are praying for you and for them. Please let us know how we can share the love of Jesus with you by meeting needs. 

For the fame of Jesus, 
Kyle McFarland
Lay Pastor | Veritas Church

Meet Andi

We have seen many new faces around Veritas Church! Praise God! We know that it can be hard to get to know leadership sometimes, so we thought that it would be fun to do a blog series introducing each staff member and a few fun facts about them. This week we want to introduce you to Andi Atkinson, our VeritasKids Ministry Assistant!

What first brought you to Veritas?
We moved to North Carolina but prior to moving my husband found Veritas on the list of Acts 29 churches in the area. So after we moved to Fayetteville and after not being involved in congregational worship for over 6 months due to the pandemic we felt it was time to visit and ultimately partner with Veritas Church.

Tell us about your role at Veritas.
I serve as the VeritasKids Ministry assistant. In that role I will be executing administrative tasks for the VeritasKids ministry, coordinating curriculum, cultivating family discipleship in the home and assisting in all things VeritasKids. :)

What are some of your hobbies?
Anything that allows me to be creative such as making t-shirts, cups, earrings, and teaching ballet, jazz, modern dance, and choreographing dances.

What’s your favorite beverage?
Water :) or black coffee

What is the last fiction book that you read?
I never really read fiction books so the last was probably something required by my high school reading class. :) I would prefer to watch a movie that is based on a fiction book. :) However the last non fiction book I read is called Saved from What? By RC Sproul.

Meet Ryan

We have seen many new faces around Veritas Church! Praise God! We know that it can be hard to get to know leadership sometimes, so we thought that it would be fun to do a blog series introducing each staff member and a few fun facts about them. This week we want to introduce you to Ryan Ross, our Pastor of Discipleship.

What first brought you to Veritas?
Veritas did! I was a student at Southeastern Seminary in Wake Forest and the elders reached out to me to come down and preach in an interim capacity in 2019, and then offered me a staff position in 2020!

Tell us about your role at Veritas.
I serve as the Pastor of Discipleship, which means I share a good bulk of the preaching load and I oversee our Discipleship Pathways, such as Men’s and Women’s Bible Studies and Equipping Events. I also oversee our Care Pathways.

What are some of your hobbies?
Reading, running, and watching Football and Netflix.

What’s your favorite beverage?
Dr. Pepper

What is the last fiction book that you read?
The last really good one was Anxious People by Fredrik Backman. I really like everything he writes.