Across Illinois, churches gathered for a different kind of worship March 22. Hours after a statewide stay-at-home order went into effect, church members attended Sunday services in their living rooms. Many pastors preached from home, or via pre-recorded sermons posted online. Chance and Ginger Newingham worshiped with three of their children and their live-in grandma, […]
Illinois Churches
Ministry during Coronavirus: An abundance of opportunity
Don’t shake hands with others. Wash your own hands, frequently and for at least 20 seconds. Practice social distancing. Stay away from most people, but especially people who seem sick. Avoid large public gatherings. Don’t travel. In fact, stay home if you can. Oh, and please don’t touch your face. That last instruction is especially […]
Churches celebrate baptism and new life, as Annual Church Profiles testify to continuing challenges
One weekend every month, leaders at Vale Church move a mobile baptistry into the lobby of the church’s Bloomington building. “Baptism weekend,” held the fourth weekend of most months, is a time of church-wide celebration, said adult ministries pastor Nolan Recker. “Personal is powerful,” Recker said, and the church’s baptism weekends highlight personal stories of […]
Rural resurgence: Millennials are leaving the city
Millennials are leaving the cities and finding “home” in small towns and rural areas. That’s the latest trend reported by recent research. The young adults, born from 1981 to 1996, are no longer finding urban centers and metro areas attractive. Why? They’re looking for community and opportunity. 30,000 Millennials left metro areas in 2018, the […]
Prayer meeting faltering? Let it go.
I didn’t kill our Wednesday night prayer gatherings, but I didn’t keep them alive either. Our youth and AWANA programs engage lots of students and require numerous volunteers. It never made sense that our churchwide prayer meeting was at a time that so few could attend. Praying with fellow believers was always encouraging, but I […]
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