Richland Center Free Methodist Church

As a new year begins, many people pause to think about what they want to change, improve, or commit to doing differently. Resolutions are made with good intentions, yet so often they fade as routines return and distractions creep back in. Still, the desire behind them reflects something deeper—a longing for purpose, direction, and faithfulness.
In this message from Matthew 28:18–20, Pastor Tim invites us to look beyond short-lived promises and consider a resolution that Jesus Himself gives to His followers. The Great Commission calls believers to live with confidence in Christ’s authority, obedience to His commands, and a willingness to participate in His ongoing work in the world. Together, we’ll reflect on what it means to follow Jesus not just at the start of a new year, but every day that follows.
Start the year by embracing a resolution that doesn’t expire—step into the life Jesus calls you to live.
Recorded Sunday, December 28th, 2025Message by Pastor Tim WardScripture: Matthew 28:18-20

Christmas Eve gathers us in a sacred moment; candles lit, familiar carols sung, hearts warmed by a story we know by heart. Yet even in the first Christmas, the glow of wonder was quickly followed by danger, disruption, and hard decisions. The Magi returned home by another way. Mary and Joseph fled into the night. Christmas did not pause life, it sent them back into it, changed.  
Drawing from Matthew’s account of the Magi, the flight into Egypt, and the quiet years that followed, this message explores what it means to carry Christmas beyond the moment. Pastor Tim reflects on how the birth of Christ reshaped homes, work, and everyday faith, and how encountering Jesus still calls us to live differently once the decorations come down. Christmas was never meant to be an escape from life, but a transformation within it.
Don’t leave Christmas behind; carry Christ into life.
Recorded December 24th, 2025 — Christmas EveMessage by Pastor Tim WardScripture: Luke 2:1-23

The season is filled with lights, wrapping paper, and carefully chosen gifts. Attention is drawn to what is under the tree and how much effort goes into giving the right thing to the right person. Yet beneath all the activity, it’s easy to miss the deeper question of what truly matters at Christmas.
In Matthew 2:1–11, the Magi travel far, bearing costly gifts for the child they recognize as King. Their journey reminds us that Christmas has always been about more than material offerings. This message explores the difference between giving gifts and offering ourselves, examining what it means to seek Jesus, bow before Him, and respond with lives shaped by worship, obedience, and devotion.
This Christmas, pause the pursuit of presents and come fully into His presence.Recorded December 21st, 2025Message by Pastor Tim WardScripture: Luke 2:1-11

The weeks leading up to Christmas are often filled with noise; schedules packed tight, expectations running high, and traditions that sometimes feel more demanding than meaningful. In the midst of all the familiar songs and decorations, it’s easy for joy to fade into routine or get buried under stress and distraction.  
Through Mary’s song of praise and the angelic announcement to the shepherds, this message traces where true Christmas joy is found and how it first entered the world. These moments reveal a joy rooted in God’s faithfulness, humility, and saving grace. Together, they invite us to rediscover a joy that grows from trust, gratitude, and wonder.
Recorded December 14th, 2025Message by Pastor Tim WardScripture: Luke 1:39-55 & Luke 2:8-14

As the season of Advent begins, life often pulls people in a dozen directions at once. Families juggle expectations, work presses in, and even good traditions can crowd the heart. Yet in the middle of that pressure, Matthew tells a quiet story about a man named Joseph — a man suddenly facing shame, confusion, and a future he never planned.
Instead of reacting out of fear or frustration, Joseph chose faithfulness. He listened. He trusted. He obeyed. He took Mary as his wife and embraced the child she carried. Through Joseph’s example, we’ll consider how Advent invites us to slow down, notice the people God has placed around us, and treat each relationship as something entrusted rather than assumed. Valuing relationships often begins with quiet, steady obedience.
Join us this Advent season as we learn to guard what God has given, and choose relationships that reflect the heart of Christ.
🗓️ Sunday, December 7th, 2025🕥 10:30 AM CST

Pressure has a way of stirring strange thoughts in us. When home, work, or school becomes too heavy, escape can look strangely appealing. Jonah knew that feeling. God said, “Go to Nineveh,” and Jonah headed the other way, boarding a ship for Tarshish and trying to sleep his way through a storm he himself had caused.
This Sunday looks a little different. With our service canceled due to weather, we’re sharing a message preached in this very church on December 5th, 1982, by Pastor David Clardie. Though delivered more than forty years ago, the truth woven through "Jonah the Reluctant Prophet" is as timely as ever. We follow Jonah through four scenes—Jonah in the storm, Jonah in the fish, Jonah in the city, and Jonah with the Lord—and discover how God pursues both the runaway believer and the violent city. Pastor David helps us see the difference between the “sleep of escape” and the rest that comes from trusting God, and reminds us that storms, interruptions, and unexpected detours often become the places where God speaks most clearly.
God asks you the same question He asked Jonah: "Where are you going, and will you go where I send you?" Listen in, and let “Jonah the Reluctant Prophet” call you from running away to running with God.
Recorded December 5th, 1982Message by Pastor David Clardie

There are moments when people reach the end of their own strength; times when routines continue, but the heart quietly wonders where help will come from. In those situations, even a simple cry for mercy can become the first step toward hope.
In this week’s message, Pastor Boris Pena turns our attention to the ten men who cried out to Jesus from a distance. Their story reveals how mercy meets us in our need, how trust often requires us to walk before anything changes, and how gratitude reshapes the heart. As we follow the one man who turned back to give thanks, we’re asked to consider what faithful obedience and returning to Jesus look like in our own lives.
Be the one who returns to the Lord with a thankful heart.
Recorded November 23rd, 2025Message by Pastor Boris PenaScripture: Luke 17:11-19

There are seasons when joy feels distant and peace seems hard to hold. Habakkuk knew that feeling well—facing loss, uncertainty, and grim forecasts for his people. Yet in the middle of that reality, he made a deliberate choice: “yet I will rejoice in the Lord.” His circumstances didn’t improve first; his trust in God did.
Paul offers the same kind of steady invitation in his letters. Writing to the Philippians and the Thessalonians, he calls believers to rejoice always, to pray continually, and to bring every concern to God with thanksgiving; not quick fixes or surface-level attitudes, but habits that form a life anchored in God’s presence. Pastor Tim explores how these practices—joy, prayer, and gratitude—shape a heart that is receptive to the peace God promises to those who trust Him.Recorded November 16th, 2025Message by Pastor Tim WardScripture: Philippians 4:4-7, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

When a church cared for Paul in his time of need it was partnership in the gospel. Their giving was an act of worship that reached heaven itself. Behind every gift was a heart moved by gratitude, trust, and obedience.
True Christian giving is driven by joy in God’s provision, rather than guilt or pressure. Philippians 4 reminds us that contentment and generosity grow together, revealing a life fully anchored in Christ.
Recorded November 9th, 2025Message by Pastor Tim WardScripture: Philippians 4:10-20

When life unravels, even the smallest things can feel impossible. The news weighs heavy, relationships strain, and our plans fall through, leaving us searching for something steady to hold on to. 
From a prison cell, Paul wrote about joy and peace as daily realities, finding contentment in every situation when everything else is falling apart. This same peace is still available today to those who place their confidence in Christ rather than in the shifting conditions of life. 
Come discover the kind of peace that doesn’t depend on what’s happening around you, but on Who is with you through it all.
Recorded November 2nd, 2025Message by Pastor Tim WardScripture: Philippians 4:4-13