Florida pastor takes inspiration from time at Liberty to serve locally and abroad
While a student at Liberty University, Tim Neptune (’92) witnessed a fervor for evangelism and outreach exhibited by Liberty founder Dr. Jerry Falwell and countless others. Today, as a pastor in Naples, Fla., Neptune has carried that spirit of helping others into his local community and countries around the world.
“When I look back, some of the best takeaways from my time at Liberty are the chapels, especially when Dr. Falwell would speak,” Neptune said. “His vision and his faith were so inspiring, as well as his leadership. There are so many phrases Dr. Falwell used to say that have just been ingrained in my mind. The words of being a ‘Champion for Christ’ were built into the psyche of the students, and I’ve carried it out in my life. I think back many times to Dr. Falwell and what he did and how it influenced me.”
When Neptune was deciding between studying business or religion at Liberty, his pastor (a Liberty alumnus) encouraged him to learn the business skills that would aid him in church operations should God call him into ministry. For the last 32 years, he said his business management degree has allowed him to effectively serve his neighbors with ministry in mind.
1992 Liberty alumni Tim and Karen (Leary) Neptune
As the pastor of Venture Church, one of multiple churches he has planted, Neptune leads Venture Cares, a ministry created to tackle food insecurity.
“There are a lot of people here who are struggling; they are what we call the ‘under-resourced and the overburdened.’ We were looking for ways for us to be an externally focused church, to get out into the community and to be the hands and feet of Jesus, and we found that food insecurity is a big issue. Yes, some people are struggling to put food on their table, but food insecurity isn’t just the fact that somebody doesn’t have food; it’s the fact that they’re having to eat (cheap and unhealthy) food that they wouldn’t want to feed their family.”
The church’s answer to this problem was creating a mobile food pantry, what Neptune calls a “beautiful 40-foot, single-aisle grocery store on wheels” with wood floors and name-brand foods. Visitors can take one of any item, two full baskets of food, and then extra items depending on the situation. Families typically walk out with $100-$120 worth of food, and the ministry serves 200-250 families per week.
“We made the decision that we were going to address food insecurity, but we wanted to do it in a way that people didn’t have to lose their dignity or be embarrassed to come shop,” he said. “We always have milk and eggs and butter and fresh vegetables and fresh fruit, the things that the families really want to feed their kids, and then also have all the staples like rice, beans, pasta, and so on.”
Neptune drew a comparison between Venture Cares and Urban Outreach, a ministry he volunteered with at Liberty where students would bring bags of groceries to Lynchburg residents in need.
“That was part of our evangelism. By being at Liberty, I was exposed to all kinds of different missions and ways to reach people,” he said. “Now, 30-some years later, I’m still doing that, just in a slightly different way.”
Speakers Neptune heard at Liberty like Vernon Brewer, founder of World Help and Liberty’s first graduate, stirred him to think globally with his outreach. This international ministry mindset was put into action with Leadership Outreach, a nonprofit Neptune founded in 2013 that trains pastors and church leaders in difficult-to-reach places of the world.
The Neptunes with Liberty founder Dr. Jerry Falwell and Macel Falwell at a Liberty banquet in 1991
“I loved Vernon Brewer, and he was kind of an inspiration in how he evangelized and what he was doing around the world,” Neptune said. “We chose to focus on theological training, leadership development, and church planting as the three main things that we do. I would say Liberty exposed us to those kinds of concepts, and we just adapted them into our own style.”
The organization has graduated close to 500 students, with 2,300 currently enrolled across 22 countries. Graduates of Leadership Outreach have planted over 40 churches, and Neptune said they hope to see thousands of churches started in the next five to 10 years.
Neptune’s wife, Karen (Leary) Neptune, is also a 1992 Liberty graduate, and the next generation of the Neptune family has also been impacted by the university’s mission, as two of their sons and two foster daughters have attended Liberty. While he hasn’t visited campus in recent years, Neptune said he has been amazed by the flourishing campus and continued mission that he remembers from his time as a student.
“The last time I was on the campus, I was blown away by the growth and how nice it was,” he said. “When my wife and I attended, we were walking through the red mud as Liberty built the Vines Center (completed in 1990). It’s incredible to see how the university has matured, and what inspires me is how Dr. Falwell’s vision for the university has come to fruition.”
