Meta Member, Wanda Staggers, was born in Harlem, NY, but after graduating from college she made her way down to South Carolina. She world as a single mom, raising four daughters on her own, while also learning to trust God in the big things and in the small things.Von Pastors Ricky & Krista Ortiz

In her message, Fer shares her story of following Jesus and the way He has revealed Himself to her. She shares about the importance of actually being with Jesus and not just doing "Jesus things." This is something God has used to transform her and now she shares this message with us all.Von Pastors Ricky & Krista Ortiz

In this week's message, Maggie speaks on the significance of Jesus – who He is, what He does, and the difference He makes in our lives. The truth is that we not only need Jesus, but when we find Him, He changes EVERYTHING!Von Pastors Ricky & Krista Ortiz

In just a short time of following Jesus, EVERYTHING can change! That's the power of following Jesus! And that's the testimony shared by both Dan and Kaki in this week's Summer Mixtape message. Over the past year, Jesus has radically transformed who they are and how they're navigating faith, marriage, and life.…

We live in a hurried, fast-paced world where we can easily find ourselves running at full speed 24/7. The challenge and difficulty with this is that we can also find ourselves easily burning out because we've run for so long or run without direction.Von Pastors Ricky & Krista Ortiz

The pressures of culture and society push us to embrace a life apart from Jesus, which means the decision and commitment to follow Jesus into your 30s requires a lot more discipline and resilience.Von Pastors Ricky & Krista Ortiz

What do you do when you've been patiently waiting for God for healing, deliverance, provision (or anything else really) and it doesn't seem like He's coming through yet?Von Pastors Ricky & Krista Ortiz

Just because you’ve taken a step towards freedom does not mean you will continue to be free. If you want to be free, then you have to determine that you will remain free.vVon Pastors Ricky & Krista Ortiz

Let's be honest: there are times where God tells us, or invites us, to do something and we would rather look the other way, pretend like we didn't hear it, or just flat out ignore what God has so clearly spoken.Von Pastors Ricky & Krista Ortiz

Nobody wants to be called GREEDY. BUT… what if this thing that we say we despise is actually something that’s a part of each of us? And what if this characteristic we say we hate is actually within each of us??Von Pastors Ricky & Krista Ortiz

Is He worthy? This is a question every follower Jesus has wrestled with. Just like the rich, young ruler in Mark 10, we all have to ask ourselves, and answer, this question when it comes to following Jesus.Von Pastors Ricky & Krista Ortiz

A recent study done by Cornell University found that 85% of the fears we have *NEVER* materialize, yet the overwhelming majority of people are gripped by fear! Yet for many Christians, fear has an incredible stronghold on their lives. This is especially true when it comes to generosity. Without question, Fear is the number one reason why Christians…

There are strongholds in our lives that are keeping us from becoming the people God has called us to become. But these strongholds don't need to keep us back, it's time to leave the stronghold and break free!Von Pastors Ricky & Krista Ortiz

We all have questions about sex, dating, and marriage... and in our final installment of our SWIPE RIGHT series, Pastors Ricky and Krista Ortiz take time to answer YOUR questions about all this and more!Von Pastors Ricky & Krista Ortiz

What if the goal wasn’t simply to survive in marriage, but to thrive in marriage? In this week's message, Pastor Ricky Ortiz outlines the 5 KEYS YOU NEED TO THRIVE IN MARRIAGE. These five keys are essential to unlocking the potential, the joy, the fulfillment, the satisfaction, and the power that marriage has to offer!…

What does the Bible really say about sex? Does God define or say who sex is for and how it should be engaged? And does it even apply for how we live today?Von Pastors Ricky & Krista Ortiz

What does the Bible say about dating? That's a question a lot of Christians have when it comes to dating in the 21st century. Of course, we live in a different time period than when the Bible was written, so does that mean there is no guidance or suggestions?Von Pastors Ricky & Krista Ortiz

The fact of the matter is that pornography reaches and impacts just about everyone, leaving so many people feeling defeated, discouraged, and in despair. In fact, many people feel like they are overcome by porn and unable to experience healing, freedom, and victory.Von Pastors Ricky & Krista Ortiz

If you do a Google search for "finding the one" you will find that over 24 BILLION search results are populated in just 0.35 seconds! Clearly, this topic and this idea of finding the one is something we deeply care about and desire clarity on.Von Pastors Ricky & Krista Ortiz

With each passing day, it seems like the worlds of sex, dating, and marriage has become increasingly complex, complicated, and confusing. But the truth is it doesn’t have to be this way. In fact, God has A LOT to say about each of these areas! In this series, we’ll delve into the heart of what God says so we can discover the radical principles that…

The Easter story offers us something different. It tells us there is grace available for everyone! And in this week's message, Pastor Ricky Ortiz shares exactly how and why we can have the confidence that grace really is available to us all.Von Pastors Ricky & Krista Ortiz

Good Friday is a day where we reflect on the cost of our salvation and price Jesus Christ paid on the Cross. But it's not just for reflection, it's for response. Because of what Christ has done, we respond by surrendering our lives.Von Pastors Ricky & Krista Ortiz

We all have needs. Some needs we're well aware of, other needs have not made themselves as apparent just yet. But we still have needs. Thankfully, God's grace meets us in those places of need AND God's grace knows what we need before we even realize we need it ourselves.Von Pastors Ricky & Krista Ortiz

We live in a world filled with brokenness. We see the brokenness in creation as we navigate the effects of climate change. We see the brokenness in others as wars and violence break out amongst different people groups. But we also experience the brokenness in ourselves as we struggle to overcome things like mental illness or addiction.…

Is there anything - or anyone - beyond God's grace? That's a good question... There are people and actions that are so repulsive and so offensive that it's hard to imagine grace being made available to or for them. In fact, were it up to us, most of us would choose not to show grace and instead would feel justified in feeling or believing that they…

In a world filled with ungrace, how can it be that the grace described in the Bible is actually something we could all experience?Von Pastors Ricky & Krista Ortiz

For the closing week of our I LOVE MY CHURCH series, Pastor Ricky Ortiz invites the Meta Leadership Team to share their heart and vision for our church.Von Pastors Ricky & Krista Ortiz

Have you ever heard someone question the role or validity of the Church in today's society? More than ever, it seems like more people have become suspicious or doubtful of the significance of the Church.Von Pastors Ricky & Krista Ortiz

God – in His divine wisdom and foresight – understood our innate need for community and provided a solution: The Church! It's in the context of a church that you're able to experience the power, freedom, love, and strength God intends for you to have. And that's because there is enormous power available to you when you're in a community.…

It is estimated that there are somewhere between 350,000-380,000 Christian churches in the United States alone. That's a lot of churches! So when it comes to Meta Church, what makes this church distinct? Why would someone choose to go to this church instead of going to another church?Von Pastors Ricky & Krista Ortiz

With all of the talk about Church Hurt and the things the Church has done that has negatively effected people, it's easy to forget about the role and responsibility we each play...Von Pastors Ricky & Krista Ortiz

What are we supposed to do when this thing that Jesus loved and gave His life for – the Church – is at the center of deeply hurtful experiences? How do we navigate this kind of hurt? Do we pretend like it’s not a big deal? Do we walk away and write it off? Do we re-engage? And if so, is there hope that things could be different?…

What is the "church"? Despite being a word that is widely and broadly used, there seems to be a lot of confusion around what the church, its role in society, and whether or not the church actually matters. More than ever, there seems to be a level of distrust and disdain toward the church.Von Pastors Ricky & Krista Ortiz

Psalm 105:1-2 say, "Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. Sing to him; yes, sing his praises. Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds." And that's exactly what we're doing on this first Sunday of 2024! We're grateful for the ways God has used our ministry to impact the lives of people in New …

There is much to learn from the Christmas story, but maybe more than anything is that the birth of the Messiah was an invitation to respond. Every person in the Christmas story that met Jesus couldn't help but stand in awe and respond in worship.Von Pastors Ricky & Krista Ortiz

What would it take for you to stand in awe of God once more? What would He have to do? What provision would you need? What breakthrough would need to happen? What miracle would you need to see? And how inclined are you to believe it could happen?Von Pastors Ricky & Krista Ortiz

In this week's message, Pastor Ricky Ortiz invites us to look at the Christmas story through the lens of the shepherds in Luke 2. These were ordinary guys, minding their own business and doing their normal job, when they are all of a sudden thrust into the forefront of the Messiah's arrival.Von Pastors Ricky & Krista Ortiz

So what if I don't live with legendary faith? What difference does living with legendary faith make? What impact does it have on my life and the lives of those around me? And does it even matter?Von Pastors Ricky & Krista Ortiz

Have you ever felt like the step of faith that God is asking you to take is taking it too far? Like what He's asking you to do requires too much or what He's having you go through crosses the line?Von Pastors Ricky & Krista Ortiz

Legendary Faith is not something that comes easily. If you want to have the type of faith that Abraham, Moses, David, and other heroes of the faith had, then you're going to have to persevere through the ups and downs, highs and lows, and struggles and successes that are part of the faith experience.…

If you could do anything for God and you knew you wouldn't fail, what would you do?Von Pastors Ricky & Krista Ortiz

When it comes to living with legendary faith, it's going to require more than just saying, "yes." Saying, "Yes," is important and it's necessary but on its own, it's insufficient. That's because legendary faith requires action, not just response.Von Pastors Ricky & Krista Ortiz

God is calling on us to live our own heroic lives of faith filled with great adventure, incredible reward, and mighty triumphs. He’s writing a new faith story, and He’s urging you to step into it. He’s inviting us to live like legends!Von Pastors Ricky & Krista Ortiz

Are you more concerned about what you can get from Jesus rather than actually being with Jesus? If so, then you might be missing the whole point of what it means to be changed.Von Pastors Ricky & Krista Ortiz

What if we looked within our own lives and considered whether the attitudes and behaviors we despise exist within us? You see, if you want to see change in the world then you have to realize it starts with you!Von Pastors Ricky & Krista Ortiz

If you ask people what they need to change, most people will respond with what they need to get. They'll say things like, "I need more of ______." Or, "If I could just get more of ____________." We've been trained to think about what they need few people would actually think about what they could give.…

If you want to experience lasting, or significant, change in your life, it's going to require that you be TENACIOUS! To be tenacious is to be persistent in maintaining, adhering to, or seeking the change that you actually desire.Von Pastors Ricky & Krista Ortiz

A recent survey of 21,000 adults in 28 countries found that 72% of people surveyed said they want their lives to "change significantly." That same survey also found that 86% of those respondents said they want the world to "change significantly." So if that's the case, why are things still the same?Von Pastors Ricky & Krista Ortiz

If our community is going to continue to grow and get better, than it's going to require one key component from each of us who calls Meta Church "home": SACRIFICE.Von Pastors Ricky & Krista Ortiz

Every person wants to feel SEEN, HEARD, and UNDERSTOOD. It doesn't matter who you are or where you're from. We wall want to be KNOWN. This is why we all desire a community where we can belong.Von Pastors Ricky & Krista Ortiz