THE FORGE
A Quarterly money and ministry update
Welcome to The Forge
The Forge is a relatively new publication at Foundry Church—a quarterly update where we open the books, share stories from the field, and connect the dots between your generosity and God’s work in the world.
The name matters. A forge is a place where something raw is shaped into something useful—through heat, intention, and skilled hands. We believe that’s exactly what God does with the resources we bring to Him. Your giving is never wasted. It’s being forged into Kingdom impact.
Each edition includes a financial update, a testimony from within our church family, mission news, and practical resources on biblical stewardship. Whether you’re a longtime giver or just beginning to think about generosity, this is for you.
We’re glad you’re here. And we’re grateful to share what God is doing.
“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 NIV
Dear Foundry Family,
He is risen. That’s where I have to start—because everything else we do together flows from that one reality.
This Easter, we preached from Luke 24:1–8—the women at the empty tomb on the first day of the week. The resurrection didn’t give the women new information. Verse 8 says: “Then they remembered his (Jesus’) words.”
Easter is a moment when the words finally land. The stone is rolled away, and suddenly everything He ever said makes sense.
This year at Foundry, we have been focused on three things: prayer, hospitality, and witness. Easter was one great opportunity for all three. We prayed for friends by name. We welcomed strangers into the family. We brought neighbors, trusting that the message would meet them where they were.
I believe it did. And I believe God was at work.
And now the mission continues. People who heard the resurrection story for the first time on Easter weekend need a community to walk with them. They need people who pray. They need to be welcomed again the following Sunday, and the Sunday after that.
What God does through His Spirit at Easter, He desires to continue through the everyday ministry of His Body, the church community. That’s you. That’s us. That’s Foundry.
He is risen. Now let’s live like it.
With gratitude,
Pastor Ray
Where We Stand
Your faithful generosity is what makes everything you read in this publication possible—every ministry, every mission, every moment of life changes at Foundry. Here is a current snapshot of where we stand:
Simultaneously, expenses are $99,123 under budget for a total positive variance of $274,964 as of Sunday March 22, 2026.
We are deeply grateful for your continued faithfulness. Consistent, generous giving is what sustains every aspect of Foundry’s ministry—our staff, our campuses, our programming, and our mission commitments locally and globally.
If you have not yet begun giving regularly, or if you’ve been thinking about taking your giving to the next level, this is a meaningful moment to take that step. Every dollar is stewarded with care—and every dollar matters.
$7,905,600
Total Amount Pledged
$4,876,723
Total Pledges Received
$10,205,600
Total Funds Available
You Were
Made for This
Kelly Long, Associate Pastor and Communications Director
There is a line in Ephesians 4 that I love—one that I think the church has sometimes underestimated. Paul writes that Christ gave gifted people to the church “to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.” The word translated “service” there is the same word used for a minister, a deacon—someone set apart to meet needs with intention.
In other words: that’s you. You were equipped for this. And when you serve, you’re not helping the institution—you’re building the body of Christ.
Serving isn’t a task you perform for the church. It’s how the church becomes what it was always meant to be.
This is especially true in this season. People who came to Foundry for the first time at Easter are watching. They’re deciding whether this is a place where they belong. And more often than not, the answer to that question isn’t shaped by the sermon—it’s shaped by whether someone looked them in the eye and said hello.
Our three priorities as a church—prayer, hospitality, and witness—all require people who show up and make them real. We need volunteers in the following areas:
Where You’re Needed
KidsMin — Leaders and volunteers are crucial to make our Sunday morning programs and special events throughout the year successful. We have opportunities at both campuses to make an impact. Our children are not the next generation of the church…they are the church now!
Host Teams & Connections — First impressions matter more than we know. Get involved by greeting, serving at a Connection Point or serving coffee and donuts!
Foundry Student Ministries (FSM) — Student ministry is a place where spiritual formation takes place through connection and intentionality and where our students grow as much as our leaders. Sign up to shepherd a small group or help with the coordination of one of our large events throughout the year.
Worship & Production — Serving as a member of our worship and production teams is a powerful way to use your gifts and interests to make ministry happen at Foundry! Our production teams provide audio visual support during our worship services and events throughout the year, and ministering through music as a member of a worship team is a powerful way to grow in faith!
Adult Discipleship — Host, facilitate, or assist in a small group community. Active engagement helps folks take personal responsibility for their discipleship and spiritual growth AND to impact and encourage that in others.
Business & Operations – Serving in the business office, human resources and operations is a powerful way to develop stewardship, see impact and build faithfulness. It’s a powerful reminder that ministry isn’t just on the stage—it’s in every system, process, and act of service that supports it.
Local & Global Missions – Whether you are serving on a mission trip, working on a project with one of our local partners or supporting this ministry with behind-the-scenes logistics, serving in missions is one of the many ways we build the Kingdom here at Foundry and beyond.
If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to get involved, this is it. Post-Easter is one of the most important times of the year to serve, because new people are still finding their footing. Your presence is part of how they find it.
Pray, Because He Is Faithful
Every now and then, someone shares a story that reminds you what faithfulness looks like when no one is watching. Kara and Ramon Carroll have been part of the Foundry family for years—serving in life groups, kids’ ministry, the finance team and worship. But before any of that, there was a decade of quiet, persistent prayer. This is Kara’s side of the story.
A few years ago, my husband Ramon shared his testimony with our Foundry family—the story of walking away from his faith and the long road that brought him back. What I want to share with you today is the other side of that story.
When Ramon stepped away from his faith, my first instinct was to fix it. I tried to convince him, reason with him, pull him back. It didn’t take long for me to realize that I was completely powerless to change his heart. That wasn’t my job. It never had been.
So I prayed.
And I prayed. And I prayed. For over ten years, I prayed for my husband to return to Christ. I wish I could tell you I was a warrior of unwavering faith through all of it, but the truth is I wasn’t always consistent. Many days I wasn’t even hopeful. But prayer was the one thing I could do, so I clung to what I knew: that God was listening, that He loved Ramon even more than I did, and that nothing was outside His reach.
Kara & Ramon Carroll
I didn’t know if Ramon would ever come back. But I knew the Lord cared. And that was enough to keep me on my knees.
After more than a decade, God answered. Ramon completely surrendered his life back to Jesus. It was one of the most emotional seasons our family has ever walked through, and it strengthened the faith of every single one of us.
But here’s what I really want you to hear. It didn’t stop there. That’s not how God works. He doesn’t just answer one prayer and move on. He uses surrendered lives.
Since that day, we have watched the Lord move in ways we never could have imagined. He led us to facilitate life groups at Foundry where we’ve witnessed prayers answered, real needs met, and deep relationships formed among people who were once strangers. He placed me in kids’ ministry and on the Finance Team. He called Ramon to the worship team. We’ve watched our own children have beautiful experiences at church—getting baptized, growing curious about their faith, and developing a genuine hunger for God’s Word.
We are just normal people living normal lives. But if there is one thing we have learned, it is this: pray. Even when it feels pointless. Even when hope is thin. Pray, because Jesus is listening, and He is faithful. To Him be all the glory.
Stories like Kara and Ramon’s don’t happen by accident.
They happen in a church where people are known, where Christ is proclaimed, and where generosity makes ministry possible.
Thank you for giving to make Foundry a place where lives are changed.
A Partnership in Cuba
Karen Starnes, Missions Director — with Pastor Gustavo and Pastor Roque
When God Multiplies a Hundred Dollars
How prayer, a Cuban pastor, and an unexpected donation became a miracle for 80 families
It started with $100 a month.
Foundry En Español — our Spanish-speaking congregation led by Pastor Gustavo, who is originally from Cuba — had been quietly sending $100 a month to Cuba, believing even a small gift could go a long way. They were right. That modest monthly offering was feeding families in ways that exceeded what anyone expected.
When Karen Starnes, Foundry’s Director of Missions, saw what $100 could do, something stirred. Her father had carried a lifelong burden for Cuba, believing their family would one day do ministry there. So, Karen and Gustavo prayed specifically and boldly — asking God for resources to expand the feeding effort in Cuba.
Then, in December, someone made an unsolicited donation to Foundry’s Mission Ministry with a simple note: use it where it’s needed most. Karen knew immediately. God was answering the prayer.
So in January, we began investing in a new partnership with Pastor Roque and The Methodist Churches of La Serrana, La Caoba, and Santa Bárbara — three small communities in rural Cuba — by providing food for 80 families every month.
One of the many families in La Serrana, La Caoba, and Santa Bárbara receiving monthly provisions.
What Pastor Roque Says
“We could not be doing what we’re doing without the support of Gustavo, Karen, and Foundry Church. We believe that God brought this miracle to us to remind us that the body of Christ needs each other. We offer our prayers and deepest gratitude for your generosity that has changed the three communities we work in.”
— Pastor Roque
You Are Part of This
Cuba is experiencing its most severe food shortage in decades. The government’s rationing system provides roughly 10 days of food per month — leaving families to navigate the rest on their own. Pastor Roque and his team bridge that gap, and Foundry helps make it possible.
This is what it looks like when the church is the church — when a $100 seed, a father’s prayer, a Cuban pastor, and an anonymous gift all converge into something only God could arrange.
A young boy in one of the three communities receives his family’s monthly food provision.
A Changed Life in a Small Hut
The stories from these three communities arrive weekly, but one stands out.
An elderly man was living alone in a remote area with no food — and no electricity. When Pastor Roque learned of his situation, he didn’t just deliver groceries. He paid to have electricity installed in the man’s small hut so he could actually cook the food being provided. That single act — power and provision together — changed the trajectory of the man’s life. He is now healthy, cared for, and no longer invisible.
That is the vision behind this partnership: not just feeding bodies, but restoring dignity.
Pastor Roque and the community gather after a monthly food distribution, January 2026.
