THE VINEYARD STORY
A few years ago, the Lord placed a quiet but powerful vision in the hearts of a few of our Advisory Team leaders—that The Ridge Church would one day have a home of its own.
It’s unusual for a young church plant/restart to even consider a building project. Yet one of these leaders felt led to give a seed gift toward a future home, encouraging us to use it as needed but hoping we might set some aside for a building one day. So we did.
Each year since then, during our End-of-Year Giving, we have invited our church family to prayerfully consider adding to that dream. And every year, God has stirred hearts, and His people have responded with faith. We have met our God led goals each time, slowly building a foundation for the future He might one day reveal. Those faithful gifts have grown into a meaningful savings—more on that soon.
A Vineyard, a Home, and an Unexpected Spark
Meanwhile, Connor and Aundrea Graves loved driving around and looking at homes. One day, a beautiful house situated on a vineyard caught Aundrea’s eye. She flagged it on the MLS—just in case. When it eventually hit the market, she quickly realized it wasn’t the right home for their family. But something about it nudged her to mention it to our Pastoral Staff.
We took a look… and suddenly the wheels began turning. Ohhhhhhhh, the potential!
The property sits on 14 acres, with a working vineyard and an olive tree orchard—details that will matter later in the story. It includes a beautiful mission-style home and an 8,500 sq. ft. winery building that could be transformed into a worship center. It is ideally located to reach families from Rocklin, Loomis, and Lincoln. The home itself could serve kids and youth ministry beautifully, not to mention midweek gatherings and countless other kingdom opportunities.
A Closed Door… Reopened by God
We reached out to a bank that specializes in church mortgages. At first, they denied our request. But after we shared prayerfully and passionately the vision we sensed God stirring, and after they considered the possibility of the property generating income as a venue, the bank reconsidered—and conditionally approved us for a loan.
On 10/7/2024, Pastor Lori was sitting outside on the patio with her mother, Gerrie, enjoying tea together, when she received a notice of the bank’s response. Pastor Mark was inside finishing his sermon for Sunday. Lori called him out and read him the letter. In tears, the three of them prayed right there on the patio, thanking the Lord for His kindness.
Mark then returned to his sermon notes. He pasted in the passage he had copied before walking out to them. It was a passage of scripture he had planned to use for another purpose, and the very first verse of that passage stopped him in his tracks:
Joshua 24:13
“I gave you land you had not worked on, and I gave you towns you did not build…
I gave you vineyards and olive groves for food, though you did not plant them.”
A vineyard… and an olive grove?!?
He immediately called Lori and her mother back into the house. With tears in his eyes, he shared the verse… and they all prayed together again to thank him for his personal touch of hope —grateful, humbled, and in awe of God’s tender timing.
Complications, Delays, and God’s Steady Hand
The property eventually went into foreclosure. We met with the seller, but the conditions weren’t right for the church. When it went back to the private lender, we showed up at the courthouse with a letter expressing our interest, hoping for a path forward. This led to several conversations with the new owner, but again—his terms were far too aggressive. He placed the property on the market and insisted on only a traditional offer.
It has now sat on the market for more than 100 days. The local wine industry has collapsed, making the property far less appealing to winemakers—but more appealing for ministry.
During all this, we researched the property through the County Planning Department and learned about needed repairs, permits, and renovations. Yet even knowing all this, we believe with all our hearts that “When God guides, He provides!” We have watched Him do it again and again. This past week, the bank even shared they could help fund renovation costs—that’s such a blessing… although our desire is to borrow as little as possible so that more resources can go directly to ministry.
So we wait on the Lord.
We do not yet know whether this vineyard is His plan for The Ridge. It may be, or He may have something entirely different in store. Yet the Scripture He gave Pastor Mark that day feels unmistakably personal—“for such a time as this.” 10/7/24 also happened to be the third anniversary of Pastor Tim’s home going to Heaven.
God’s People Respond in Faith
Toward the end of 2024, God moved again. A new couple in our church felt led to offer a significant matching gift toward our building fund—sparking fresh excitement throughout our congregation. The church family rallied, and together we raised $327,000.
Today, The Ridge has accumulated $450,000, much of it already designated for a future building. This year, our goal is to raise an additional $320,000. God has already miraculously provided $160,000 in matching funds through some very faith filled people. And—then another match has been offered to match the match, bringing us to $320,000, hitting our initial goal, and forcing us to create a new goal.
Every $100 becomes $300.
Every $10,000 becomes $30,000.
If we are able to raise another $160,000, it unlocks the full matching gifts and brings us just under the $1 million mark. If we raise $230,000, we will surpass $1 million—providing a strong down payment, renovation resources, and the ability to bless our mission partners, as we always do.
Walking Together in Humble Expectation
Our Advisory Team has been united and prayerful at every step. We are committed not to force anything. We are simply casting our bread upon the water and watching to see what God will do. After all, Jesus said in Matthew 16:18 that He will build His Church, and the powers of hell will not overcome it. This is His church—we are simply His stewards.
We do not yet know what God has planned. In many ways, it feels as though He may have been saving this vineyard for us. But we will wait on Him to make His purposes clear.
One thing we do know:
God is blessing His people as we take steps of faith together. He is stirring gratitude, generosity, unity, and expectation. And as we honor Him with all He has given us, we trust that He will lead us—faithfully, lovingly, and in His perfect timing.