On Timberlane School Road in Tallahassee
Tucked into north Tallahassee on Timberlane School Road, Timberlane Church of Christ is a community that has staked its identity on a single sentence: "We are dedicated to seeking the lost, embracing them in God's love, and equipping them to serve Him." The congregation gathers each week for unembellished, scripture-saturated worship, classes for every age from the cradle to the college years, and an unusually broad slate of ministries that includes a thriving Spanish-speaking congregation, a college student initiative aimed at Florida State and Florida A&M, weekly men's and women's gatherings, a food pantry, and mission partnerships in Panama and Venezuela.
The church describes itself as being "of no denomination" and as simply Christians "called out of the world and into the church." Worship is described as "simple, heart-felt praise," and the family of believers is led by six elders, a deep bench of deacons, and two full-time ministers, Lee Jamieson and his son Lee Jamieson Jr, who together serve as Pulpit Minister and Youth and Family Minister.
Sunday and Wednesday Rhythms
Three days a week form the backbone of life at Timberlane. Sunday opens with Bible Classes at 9:30 a.m., taught for everyone from babies to adults. Worship follows at 10:30 a.m., and the building stays open for an evening service at 6:00 p.m. On the first and third Sundays of each month, the evening hour takes the shape of small groups that are open to everyone.
Midweek, the rhythm resumes on Wednesday. A Wednesday Night Cafe at 6:15 p.m. lets families share a $7 meal together before Bible Classes begin at 7:00 p.m., with classes offered for all ages from nursery through high school and adults.
For those who cannot attend in person, every adult Bible class and every Sunday service is livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel, where recordings are organized into playlists so that anyone can revisit past lessons. Sermon audio has been archived back to 2016 and is available through Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and the church's blog.
Children's Ministry: From Cradle Rollers to Faith Lane
Children's Ministry is one of the most distinctive features of Timberlane. The church has built a multi-sensory, room-by-room pathway through the Bible that begins with the youngest babies and ends with fifth graders ready to move into the youth ministry.
Babies from six months to two years old begin on Cradle Rollers, where teachers introduce Bible songs, characters, and themes. From there they graduate to Hope Lane, a multi-sensory program for two-, three-, four-, and five-year-olds that uses singing, storytelling, and crafts to prepare them for the next stage. Faith Lane, for kindergarten through fifth grade, carries the multisensory approach even further. Children rotate through a "Bible museum," sit around the campfire in the Happy Camper Room, design projects in an art classroom, play games, and create Biblical meals in the Lord's Way Cafe.
Parents with babies up to two-and-a-half may take advantage of the attended nursery offered during services. The nursery is described as a "fully-equipped space" where children are cared for while parents participate in worship.
Iglesia en Español
Spanish is a full second language of the congregation. Timberlane's Hispanic ministry, called Iglesia en Español, gathers every Sunday morning at 9:15 a.m. for worship in Spanish, then continues at 10:30 a.m. with a Spanish Bible study. A third gathering takes place on Wednesdays at 7:15 p.m. for an additional midweek Bible study in Spanish. The ministry is currently working through Romans chapter 12 and Ephesians chapter 5.
The Spanish-speaking ministry reaches well beyond the walls of the building. Members teach English to newcomers, translate documents and accompany people to medical and legal appointments, and help walk families through the processes of acquiring visas or American citizenship. The church can connect visitors with immigration attorneys who can assist with the legal process.
Children are not left out. While adults study, the ministry offers its own classes for school-aged children that bring together kids from both English- and Spanish-speaking homes, and a nursery is available for the youngest children. For more information, contact Henry Flores.
Christ on Campus and the College Years
Timberlane sits within easy reach of three major institutions of higher learning, and the church has built an entire ministry around them. Christ on Campus is described as the cornerstone of Timberlane's "20/20 Vision" - a plan to build and operate a student center serving the combined 65,000 students of Florida State University, Florida A&M University, and Tallahassee Community College, in partnership with other congregations in Tallahassee and around the state.
In the meantime, the college ministry already offers a Bible class on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings, plus a free meal before class on Wednesdays. The Adopt-A-Student program pairs students with members of the congregation who help them navigate their time in Tallahassee. Fellowship comes through on-campus devotionals, game nights, retreats, and service projects. Campus ministry deacon Jeff James oversees the work and can be reached at christoncampus.tallahassee@gmail.com.
Young Families, Young Professionals, and Empty Nesters
The family-shaped ministries at Timberlane begin with the youngest parents. The Young Families ministry gathers parents with children from newborn through fifth grade for kid-friendly fellowship and encouragement, anchored by the verse "as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15). Parents share events, swap advice, and look for ways to raise their children in Jesus together.
For those past the young-children years but not yet to midlife, the Young Professionals ministry gathers graduate students, young adults beginning careers, and single professionals for in-home devotionals, game nights, themed parties, college sporting events, and monthly service projects. The stated goal is to "show Jesus to others and to fulfill our mission to seek and save the lost."
Once the children have left home, the Empty Nesters take over. The group meets monthly for potluck meals after Sunday morning worship, hosts other social events, and tackles service projects together.
Timberlane Women in God's Service
Women of all ages find a place at Timberlane through the Women's Ministry. Open to women from high school age and up, the ministry exists to "equip and enrich the lives of women in their Christian walk" through activities, monthly gatherings, ladies' retreats, and the annual Ladies' Day.
The intergenerational group at the heart of the women's work is TWIGS - Timberlane Women in God's Service. TWIGS meets on the third Monday of each month for fellowship, games, crafts, and service. Each meeting has a different focus, from playing Bunco to making love baskets for special members.
A weekly Ladies' Morning Bible Study meets on Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. The current study is built around Cassandra Martin's book, "Our Father in Heaven, Teach Us to Pray," which guides women through a 13-week exploration of prayer.
The annual Ladies' Day is a day-long event with Bible studies, discussions, guest speakers, and a posh lunch. Past themes include "Bee-Coming Like Little Children" with speaker Andria Cole in 2023, "Loving Others As Yourself" with Larianne Stutts in 2022, and "The Forgiven Forgive" with Kathy Pollard in 2019. Ladies' Retreats extend the same spirit over a longer weekend.
The Golden Triangle and ROMEO
Two long-running groups give Timberlane's older members a way to stay close and keep serving. The Golden Triangle is the congregation's over-50 fellowship. Members sew bears for the TMH pediatric ward and for mission trips, make and deliver lap blankets to shut-in members, cut stars from retired flags for military members, and send get-well cards and birthday cards to fellow members over 40. The group meets on the second Thursday of each month for a $7 breakfast at the church building, with reservations coordinated by Margie Givens.
The other senior group carries one of the most memorable names in the church directory: ROMEO, which stands for Retired Old Men Eating Out. The brothers gather at the Village Inn on Lonnbladh Road every Tuesday morning starting just after 7:00 a.m. for breakfast, conversation, and Christian fellowship. As the church writes, the men may not solve many of the world's problems over pancakes, but they do enjoy "fellowshipping together and loving the company of fellow Christian men."
Missions in Panama and Venezuela
Timberlane's mission footprint reaches into Latin America. The church has supported a recurring mission trip to Panama, with the 2022 trip described as a great success. Members can contribute to specific missionaries, the medical supply fund, or to a general "as most needed" fund for the work.
The church also supports two congregations in Venezuela. In downtown Caracas, the El Silencio congregation has grown to about 150 members drawn from the poorest part of the city. The minister, Jose Quinones, leads the work and reports roughly a dozen baptisms a year. The other supported congregation is Iglesia en El Este, where Luis Gomez leads a team that travels every year into Amazon regions to evangelize indigenous communities, bringing clothing and medicine along with the gospel. Both churches are active in evening Bible studies and offer dynamic preachers.
Love Your Neighbor
Just inside the Timberlane building, a small food pantry called Love Your Neighbor offers a quiet ministry to people who walk in needing help. A bag of non-perishable goods and basic hygiene items is cheerfully provided to anyone who requests it, and members of the church keep the pantry stocked by shopping from a standing list: canned fruit, vegetables, soup, meats, beans, peanut butter, crackers, granola bars, cereal, applesauce, boxed macaroni and cheese, juice boxes, pasta, spaghetti sauce, and canned or dry milk, alongside toothbrushes, deodorant, bar soap, and shampoo.
Twice a year, the Love Your Neighbor ministry expands into Opportunity Sunday, a larger service day that gives the church a chance to "glorify God through work, complete a major service project for a home, meet our community through outreach, and share a unique fellowship opportunity."
Timberlane also partners with DivorceCare, a 13-week support program for people working through separation or divorce.
Elders, Deacons, and Ministers
Timberlane is led by six elders, each of whom rotates quarterly to oversee a particular area of the congregation's spiritual life. Tracy Colwell oversees benevolence, Don Covan oversees Timberlane Assemblies, John Cowart oversees involvement, Walt Driver oversees missions and local outreach, Jimmy Sullivan oversees assimilation, and Jack Traylor oversees Bible education.
The elders are supported by ten deacons assigned to specific ministries: Greg Coggins (benevolence), Travis Griffith (fellowship events), Jeff James (Christ on Campus), Anthony Mcclendon (small groups), Jason Meadows (youth ministry), Vaughn Poppell (budget and finance), John Stitely (AV and tech), Kerry Tate (Bible education), Bill Tawney (benevolence, buildings and grounds), and David Ward (assembly servants, empty nesters).
The church's two full-time ministers share more than a calling - they share a name. Lee Jamieson has served as Pulpit Minister since June 2014, when he and his wife Kathy and their two children, Lee Jr and Madelaine, joined the Timberlane family. Lee Jamieson Jr serves as Youth and Family Minister. Both contribute to the church's devotional blog: Lee Sr to the 150 Days chronological Bible reading plan, the Joy of the Lord series, and 101 Footsteps of Peter, and Lee Jr to the Wednesday Night Bible Class where students learn keyword Bible marking through the Gospel of John.
What We Believe
Timberlane lays out its convictions in a series of bullet points drawn from scripture. The church confesses:
- Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior (Acts 2:36)
- The Bible as God's revealed will (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
- Love as the greatest command (Ephesians 5:1-2)
- The church as God's spiritual family on earth (1 Timothy 3:15)
- Unity as the desire and responsibility of every believer (John 17:23)
- Baptism by immersion as the climactic point of salvation by grace through faith (Mark 16:16)
- Worship in spirit and truth as the criteria for God-centered praise (John 4:24)
- Service to others as evidence of God's love (Matthew 25:40)
The church extends an open invitation through its "Spread the Word" ministry to anyone interested in learning more, setting up a one-on-one Bible study, or requesting that a member come study with them.
Devotional Reading Plans and Podcasts
For those who want to dig deeper between Sundays, Timberlane offers three written reading plans and two video series. 150 Days walks readers through the entire Bible chronologically, with brief devotionals for each day. 101 Footsteps of Peter follows the apostle Peter through 101 devotionals, ending with the conversion of Cornelius and the spread of the gospel to the Gentiles. The Joy of the Lord is My Strength is a series on discovering, accessing, and sharing the joy that only God can give.
The two video series are 40 Days of Prayer and Victory Week, both available on the church's website. Sermon recordings and Wednesday Night Bible Class recordings are archived on the Timberlane YouTube channel, organized into playlists for easy browsing back to 2016.
For members who want to stay in touch through the week, the events calendar can be subscribed to through Google Calendar, iCalendar, or Outlook, and the church's Twitter and Facebook feeds carry updates on classes, fellowships, and service opportunities. Giving is available online through the church's secure eServicePayments portal.