4/23/25 Update| Casey Wilson

Greetings,

My name is Casey Wilson. I am the husband of Erica Wilson and the father of Bryar (12), Oya (12), Jameson and Teralynn (11), Nathaniel (10), Gabriel (9), and Everleigh (8). It has been an honor for my family to enjoy the friendship of Discover Church, and we are deeply grateful for your blessing and support as we plant Heritage Bible Church. Recently, two of our children, Nathaniel and Oya, were baptized. This is a memory they will share with Discover for the rest of their lives.

Erica and I are not originally from Franklin, but we hope our children and grandchildren will call this town home for many years. We first visited in 2003, but it wasn’t until 2013 that we decided to make Franklin our home. Since then, we have gotten to know many wonderful people in this town, many of whom call Discover Church their home. I believe this is part of your testimony – a people who love their town and live to make it better for others.

As we set out to plant Heritage Bible Church (HBC), we hope to take this attitude with us: to love God and to love Franklin. A huge thank you to Ben, the Elders, the staff, and the Church family at Discover for their blessing.

WHY HERITAGE?

As we prayed about how we would communicate to Macon County what the essence of Church is, we wanted a message rooted in Scripture. We wanted something bigger than us and the time that we live in. Our goal was to communicate the nature of God's relationship to His people and their relationship to Him. That is why we landed on Heritage.

The promise, "I will be their God and they shall be My people," is found in various forms throughout the Old Testament (Gen. 17:7, Ex. 6:7, 19:5-6, 29:45-46, Deut. 4:20, 7:6, 14:2, 1 Chron. 17:22, Jer. 7:23, 11:4, 31:1-33…) and continues into the New Testament (2 Cor. 6:16-17, 1 Pet. 2:9-10, Rev. 21:3, 21:7). This relationship is the basis for who we are and what we are called to be. With this in mind, Heritage has become a statement with a double meaning, a reminder that God is our heritage, and we are His heritage.

Psalms 28:9 is one of the verses you will see around HBC.  

Oh, save your people

    and bless your Heritage!

Be their shepherd

   and carry them forever.

                           (Psalm 28:9)

David's choice of words—save, bless, shepherd, and carry—helps us understand God's relationship with His people, His heritage. You will hear much more about these words in coming emails.

Upcoming Meeting:

• We desire to plant HBC in the Fall of 2025, and we will continue to ramp up communication as that date approaches.

• On 5/18 and 6/29, we will hold info meetings at Discover Church to clarify HBC's vision and mission.

Please Pray:

• For wisdom for the Elders of Heritage Bible Church.

• That God would provide a building for us to gather when we launch.

• For a smooth process in securing our legal documentation (501(c)(3), EIN number, bank account, and other logistics).

• For continued faith and charity for the Elders, Staff, and congregation of Discover Church.

• For our families during this time of transition.

Finally, if you and your family are following along and praying about your involvement with HBC please say hello on Sunday or throughout the week in an email. It is a great encouragement for us to meet the families that God is drawing towards this church plant.  

Grace & Peace,

Casey Wilson