WHEELERSBURG- It’s been a busy few months for community faith leader Jared Timberlake, who pastors Sandhill Christian Baptist. He was honored with the rare opportunity of a lifetime in December to travel to Washington, where he gave the opening prayer at the US House of Representatives. February came with two opportunities to spread his faith—he was welcomed to preach at the Christian Baptist Ministers Conference on February 3 and was also invited to give opening prayer at the Ohio House of Representatives last week.

Timberlake is a Wheelersburg High School graduate and native who now resides in Franklin Furnace. He is an Army veteran, pastor, a volunteer firefighter, and works with struggling fathers through Community Action Organization of Scioto County.

His most recent honor came from yet another invite from a state official.

“God continues to open doors for me to be a light for him,” Timberlake said. “This time, with an invite from Representative Justin Pizzulli to come and give the opening prayer at the Statehouse. It was really a great honor to get the invite. Any opportunity I get to honor the Lord is a true blessing.”

The opening prayer Timberlake give at the Ohio House of Representatives stated, “Heavenly Father, we thank you for another day where you have given us another opportunity to do good. Lord, I pray, today, that you would lead us and guide us in all that we do. God, today is another day to honor you and I pray today that you would bring unity to this house and that you would bring leadership and guidance in all that we do. God, In Ohio, we pride ourselves in being the heart of it all, but may we be a state that pursues after your heart and your will. Lord, we thank you that we live in a great state and a great country that has been blessed by you. Lord, we pray your continued blessings, in Jesus’ name Amen.”

Timberlake has been preaching at the Sandhill Christian Baptist Church since 2019, just before the Covid-19 pandemic shook the world. He says that it was a serious test for him but feels blessed to have had such an accepting and supportive board that helped him get the church through a mentally-taxing time that would change mindsets forever. Through their dedication to their faith, and some hard work, church leadership continued practices that made their presence known in the community, survived the long shut down, and left the ordeal with new techniques and tools in their pockets—such as their invigorated online presence.

Timberlake says his church means the world to him, feeling a strong sense of responsibility and ownership in it. He was proud to represent them in D.C.

His predecessor to the pulpit was his wife’s grandfather, Ronnie Blevins, who served the church for 45 years. Timberlake has massive respect for the pastor emeritus, saying he learned a lot for him.

Just before Blevins retired, Timberlake and his wife were working with the church youth, learning from Blevins in all ways that he could.

“For about four years before he retired, I would travel with him as he made hospital visits,” Timberlake said. “I would help with baptisms and really just tried to stay in his back pocket to learn as much as I could from him.”

Once the decision was made to make Timberlake the church’s preacher, he says that he was thrilled beyond measure.

“It was overwhelming and exciting,” Timberlake said. “It was something I knew God was calling me to do. The way it played out was just a very heartwarming experience.”

Timberlake has had a lot of opportunities in recent months to meet with elected officials, tour political offices, and more, including a visit to the Speaker of the House’s own private office, where he provided prayer over Speaker Mike Johnson on his personal balcony. This networking continued in Columbus.

“The whole day went very well. I got to meet a lot of people and have some very good conversations about how God has impacted our State,” Timberlake said. “These last three months have been amazing making lifetime memories and seeing my ministry grow. From Washington to Columbus, the doors that God has opened and the opportunities that He has given me have been a true blessing. We are continuing to see God transform lives at Sandhill Christian Baptist Church as well which is very exciting.”

These recent travels have impacted Timberlake’s outlook on his mission in a healthy way, staying humble in his dedication to his congregation and hoping the milestones only mean more opportunities for the people he serves.

“My takeaways from the Statehouse were much like those in Washington,” Timberlake said. “After spending the day in Columbus, it’s an awesome reminder that Ohio has played such a major role in the history of the United States and in a lot of ways we are still a very influential State.”

Timberlake’s Washington prayer stated, “Heavenly Father, we come to you today thankful for another day. We are thankful for your blessings and your love. God, I ask today that you would bring guidance to all of our representatives and elected officials. As a nation, may we always seek your face and will. Lord, I pray that you will bring unity to this house that those serve may serve for the common good of our nation. God, I thank you that you have allowed us to live in the greatest country in the world. I thank you for blessing America for 247 years. Now, God, it is my prayer that America will bless you in all that we do, and that we will always be one nation under God. Protect us and guide us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Timberlake said the experience energized him and gave him a greater sense of possibility.

“When it comes to prayer and setting your mind to something, nothing is impossible as serving the lord as a community member and someone who is sent to spread the gospel of Jesus,” Timberlake said. “This experience told me that if God is behind it and I’m making action based on serving the Lord, then nothing is impossible. In the future, I think it will motivate me to pursue other opportunities as well.”

Sandhill Christian Baptist Church is at 188 Midway Avenue, Wheelersburg, Ohio and Timberlake says anyone is welcome.

“Anyone is welcome to attend our services,” Timberlake said. “Our church slogan is ‘We are a family,’ so, anyone who comes through those doors, whether it is their first visit, or they’ve attended for years, we strive to make them feel like family.”

The church posts videos to YouTube the day after livestreaming on Facebook. The church also offers a kid’s ministry, teen ministry, young adult ministry, women’s ministry, and men’s ministry. For more information on the church, visit www.sandhillcbc.com.

Reach Joseph Pratt at (740) 353-3101, by email at [email protected], © 2024 Portsmouth Daily Times, all rights reserved.