Some stories don’t start with loud headlines or sweeping moments—but with quiet faithfulness, deep roots, and generational impact. That’s the kind of story Tina Marie (Renshaw) Dudley carries in her heart—a story that began in a small gymnasium in Three Rivers and continues to ripple into eternity.
Tina was just a young girl in third grade when her family moved from Traverse City and found a new church home in what was then called T.R.C.F—Three Rivers Christian Fellowship. At the time, the congregation numbered around 35 people, meeting in a school gym on Sundays and a bank basement during the week. It wasn’t flashy or fancy, but it was holy ground—because God was building something that would last far beyond the four walls.
A Foundation That Formed a Life
Tina reflects on those early years with awe and gratitude. What she experienced there—faith lived out, grace extended, truth spoken boldly, and community embraced fully—was so foundational that she didn’t realize how rare it was until decades later. As a Blood Bank account manager visiting various churches, she came to appreciate that what she once assumed was “normal Christianity” was actually something profoundly rich and unique.
She had been formed in a culture where people didn’t just attend church—they were the Church. Where generosity wasn’t about abundance but about obedience. Where prayer was simple, sincere conversation with a God who listens. Where discipleship wasn’t a program but a way of life—where older women mentored younger ones, and every generation had something sacred to pass on.
As Tina shares, “We were taught the power of the words in the Bible and that they are alive and life-changing.” That teaching stuck. It shaped how she mothered, how she mentored, how she navigated hardship, and how she now grandmothers—still sitting with women hungry to learn, just like she once was.
A Church That Gave More Than a Sunday Service
Under the leadership of Pastor Paul and Bonnie Booko, TRCF (now Riverside Church) wasn’t built on programs or personalities—it was built on surrender. Tina remembers how their hunger for God and obedience to His voice inspired an entire congregation to do the same. They didn’t just preach the gospel; they lived it.
She writes of the profound truths she was taught:
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That prayer changes us, not God.
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That grace should be our default, not our exception.
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That we must guard our hearts and minds in a world eager to distract and divide.
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That love sometimes looks like discipline—and that even when life feels like “hate mail,” God is still sending love letters.
Those lessons anchored Tina’s faith. They carried her through seasons of joy and grief, and now they fuel her mission to pour into others.
Grace: The Legacy We Carry
Perhaps the greatest legacy Tina highlights is one word: grace. She writes, “After all God has done for us (and the cross alone is enough), how can we sit in judgment of another?” In a world increasingly marked by division, outrage, and self-righteousness, this truth feels like a balm to the soul.
The kind of grace Tina was taught is not passive—it’s active. It serves. It forgives. It listens. It reaches across aisles, across generations, and across wounds. It sees others not as strangers but as eternal siblings. It’s the kind of grace that changes lives—not just for a moment, but for generations.
Thank You for Giving to the Lord
Tina’s heart overflows with gratitude—not just for what she received, but for what she’s been able to give because of it. The little church that once held 35 people in folding chairs has now grown into a thriving, life-giving movement—but its impact is still deeply personal.
Through Tina’s life alone, hundreds have been touched. And that’s just one ripple. Multiply that by every life transformed in that community, and the legacy becomes immeasurable.
She closes her reflection with these words that capture the heart of it all:
“In heaven the line will be quite long as one by one my brothers and sisters join me in saying, ‘Thank you, for giving to the Lord. I am a life that was changed.’”
Let the Legacy Continue
Tina’s story is not just a reflection—it’s an invitation. An invitation to live generously. To mentor faithfully. To speak truthfully. To serve humbly. And to extend grace freely.
May we all live in such a way that our lives echo this same refrain: “I am a life that was changed. And I will spend my life helping change others.”