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Thank You CCC

Tommy and I got a chance to put this video together to say "Thank You" to Community Christian Church in Chicagoland.

   

Reproducing the Mission

Over two years ago I received an email from someone who was moving to Chicago from another town in IL.  He and his wife had recently experienced a spiritual renewal in their life and they knew finding a church home was very important.

We connected instantly even through email and they decided to buy a house in Naperville and become active at Community Christian Church.  The mission of helping people find their way back to God resonated with their hearts.  He and his wife joined our small group and I soon asked him to become my apprentice leader.

Over the next year we would meet weekly to share life, pray, talk about small group leadership and just hang out.  Then came the time to release my apprentice to begin his own group.   During our time together in group we had a number of people take their faith public and get baptized.  As he was being sent out I remember a conversation were he shared his thoughts about leading a group on his own.  I knew that someday he would be in the tub at church baptizing someone from his group.  He couldn't imagine that.

On Sunday November 18th, my very good friend Scott baptized his first small group member.  And the book of Acts is still being written.

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Restore - a Prayer and a Blessing

This past Saturday the entire Restore Community Church team gathered at Community Christian Church in Chicagoland for a very special service.  As part of their monthly leadership community, the Restore team was commissioned to be sent out with a blessing to launch this new church in Kansas City.  It was a powerfully emotional weekend reconnecting with friends and sharing how God is at work in Kansas City.  It was a great moment to have very close friends praying over us and having my mentor and friend, Dave Ferguson, anoint each of us for this mission.

Restore is part of the NewThing Network.  The map behind us shows all the churches we partner with across this country and the little red dot at the bottom left shows our first international affiliate in the Philippines.   The yellow dot in the middle..that's us.    I can't wait to see how God exponentially increases the impact of this network.

Below is a picture of a great capture in time.  My friend Dave is anointing my wife Janet and a great prayer warrior and long time friend, Pam Haines is praying over her and all of us.  Check out Janet's blog for more details.

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Commissioning for Restore Community Church

This Saturday is a very special day for the Restore Community Church team.  We are all headed to Chicago to Community Christian Church for our commissioning service.  This will be part of the monthly Leadership Community meeting where all the leaders of CCC gather at one of two locations for a time of vision, huddle and skill training.

I have incredible memories of the first Saturday of every month at CCC.  It was at one of these meetings 16 years ago that Janet and I were recognized as new apprentice leaders.  It was 11 years ago at a Leadership Community that I was commissioned as a pastor at CCC.  It was this past January when Dave announced that we would be leaving CCC to plant a church in Kansas City Missouri as part of NewThing and ReachoutKC.  I am sure that I cried more that day than any of the others. 

And it will be this Saturday when I with my incredible team of Josh Jackaway, Luke Kendall, Tommy and Jessica Bowman, Matt Talley, my wonderful wife Janet (and kids Jake, Mitch and Judiann) and Patrick and Nancy O'Connell (with their kids Bailie, Declan, and Cormac) stand before this passionate group of leaders, who are my closest friends, and be sent out with a blessing to do God's Will, to love people like Jesus and to help them find their way back to God.

I am humbled as I write this.  I am sure the emotions will flow again Saturday morning.

Big Weekend for CCC

This is a really big weekend for Community Christian Church in Chicagoland.  Its the beginning of the fall IGNITE with a kickoff of a new series called Soul Cravings.  Its also the Grand Opening of the expansion of the Yellow Box in Naperville.  It will be the culmination of months of preparation and weeks of inviting and days of prayer leading up to this weekend.  I know that literally hundreds of first time visitors will show up at CCC, many on the arms of friends who extended themselves to invite a neighbor, coworker, family member or friend.

Its really weird to write about this event this year...for the past 12 years I have been so immeshed in everything that happened at CCC.  My last official role there was to complete the expansion of the Yellow Box (which actually was done marvelously well by Lee Messersmith).  So I write this from Kansas City, making preparations for our first ReachoutKC launch team meeting, while reading every blog post and email about the upcoming CCC events.  I feel blessed and privileged to have been part of such a movement of God and now watch many friends and coworkers taking the mission of 'helping people find their way back to God' in Chicagoland to the next level.

Go TEAM Go!  I miss you and am praying for you.

Beginning and the End

Today was my last Sunday on Staff at Community Christian Church.  How fitting that it ends where it began.  It was 12 years ago that Janet and I moved back to Chicago from Atlanta.  I was still working for General Mills.  That first week back we attended CCC at its one and only location at Naperville North High School.  It was here that Janet came on staff in our children's ministry.  It was here that I made a career change to vocational ministry.  It was here that Janet and I prayed mountain moving prayers about church planting and God answered and said go to Kansas City. 

I cannot thank all the wonderful people of CCC enough.  They have helped to shape and form me.  To love me.  To encourage me.  And to financially support ReachoutKC. 

Eric Bramlett, the most creative guy I know, did a marvelous job of orchestrating a great send off party.  I led worship and he played piano with some of my favorite musicians in the band.  We closed the service with "We Will Dance."  How appropriate..relationships I have developed here at CCC are eternal....and someday we will indeed dance.

Bring Back Blonde Eric

Today I am cleaning out my desk, getting ready to move to KCMO.  Its really weird.  All kinds of emotions, tons of memories and dozens of photos.  I found a picture of my very good friend Eric Bramlett from way back.  It was in his "blonde" days.  I really liked this Eric and miss him greatly.  I say we bring back the blonde Eric.  What do you say?

Yellow Box Phase II

Phase II construction at the Yellow Box of Community Christian Church is nearing completion.  It is going to be a great space.  One of my last responsibilities at CCC is to get this facility addition completed and ready for move in.  I have had the privilege to be a part of numerous facility projects at CCC and seen God do really cool stuff.

Over the past 6 months as Dave Ferguson and I have met one on one weekly as part of my development, he has consistently asked me, who am I apprenticing to replace me in my various roles, and specifically in my facility design and construction role.  I have had the pleasure to apprentice and develop Lee Messersmith in this role.  Lee came on board at CCC a couple of years ago in a part time facility manager role and then expanded his staff position to full time as he also became the Naperville High School Student Ministry Director.  He has done a great job of diving into the details of the project and working with the contractor and architect.  As a matter of fact this past month, I have become his helper.  He has indeed moved into the "You do, I watch (occassionally help) and we discuss.  The apprentice process works and not just in small groups.  It works in all roles.