Marble Falls newcomers have vision for church, indoor playground
Jonathon Wilson (left) and Matt Netzer moved to Marble Falls in May from Oklahoma City to launch a new church and indoor playground facility. RockPile Church and the playground Well Played could launch later this year. Staff photo by Jared Fields
JARED FIELDS • PICAYUNE STAFF
MARBLE FALLS — Newcomers to Marble Falls often have a story about how and why they come to call the town home.
Many are familiar with the city from previous visits or driving through on a trip before deciding to return for good.
Like others before them, Matt Netzer and his wife, Sarah, were driving back to Oklahoma City after visiting family in the Fredericksburg area.
“It’s a pretty area; it caught our eye,” Matt Netzer recalled. “I could really see ourselves in a place like Marble Falls some day.”
Unlike most newcomers, who usually acquire jobs before moving to a new city, the Netzers packed up everything and moved here in May to launch their dream: planting a church.
Matt, a youth minister for 15 years in Oklahoma City and St. Louis, felt a new path was ahead of him.
That path led Netzer and a fellow pastor from his previous church, Jonathon Wilson, to move here and plant a church.
The two decided to drive through Hill Country towns, including Boerne, Kerrville and Fredericksburg, to see where God was calling them.
The first stop was Marble Falls.
“We stopped and looked and had this sense of, ‘Do we need to keep looking?’” Netzer said.
They did. Netzer and Wilson spent time in the other communities but felt called to Marble Falls.
Though Wilson explored other options, he decided to join Netzer.
“I couldn’t shake the feeling that God was trying to get us out here to help Matt and Sarah,” Wilson said. “I’m here to help them get this church going.”
“It just feels right,” Netzer said. “God’s confirmed that ever since.”
Netzer said he wants the church to be part of the community.
“There’s not a whole lot for younger kids when it’s hot outside, rainy or even cold. There are outdoor parks, a lake, but we didn’t see any indoor playgrounds,” Netzer said. “We wanted to provide something for the community but that would work as an avenue to support the church. We believe church should be more than something on Sunday.”
Netzer has a name, RockPile Church, and secured equipment for the indoor playground to be called Well Played. Wilson built a website, www.rockpilechurch.com, and his wife has helped craft a business plan for an indoor playground.
However, a building is one thing the group has not yet found. Although, it could be close.
“We plan on a soft launch in November and a hard launch in February,” Netzer said.
RockPile has a few community members who have joined the launch team. Others said they’re waiting for services to begin.
Netzer has been out in the community attending events and meeting people since moving here in May. He’s teaching at Faith Academy this year until the church gets off its feet. Wilson has worked odd jobs in the community, too.
“We want our church calendar to look like the community calendar,” Netzer said. “How can we as a church invest in those things to make it better?”
RockPile Church will have a booth Sept. 20 at Marble Falls Market Day on Main Street. The next week on Sept. 27, RockPile will host a preview day for interested launch team or potential members.
“When God tells you to do it, you’ve got to do it. And there’s always a series of confirmations,” Netzer said. “I don’t know if I’m naive or full of faith, but I’ve got peace about it.”
And whether Well Played is full with kids every day and RockPile has a membership near a thousand, or if it all falls flat, Netzer said he won’t see it as failure.
“Obedience is success,” he said. “Whatever happens is up to Him.”
jared@thepicayune.com