Going Back to FVCC

After spending 11 years in one church, you form a lot of strong relationships with people. So with the recent visits from Steve, Jim & Jackie...I've been wondering when I will be able to visit FVCC to see some other friends and check in on the church. It will be good to see everybody again; however, I'm sure it will be strange to go as a visitor rather than a staff member.

I'm thinking about either Thanksgiving weekend or Christmas Eve services. I'll let you know...

Another FVCC Visit

I had the pleasure of having dinner with some great friends from FVCC last night. Jim (FVCC Student Minister) & Jackie Clark are both pursuing Master's degrees at Lincoln Christian Seminary, so after class yesterday they popped over to Peoria to hang out for a while and see my new church.

We grabbed some Geo's Pizza (great BBQ Chicken pizza!) and then toured the church building. Unfortunately, we had to keep the evening short as they had to head back home since Jackie was opening at Starbucks this morning in Geneva.

Jim joined the staff of FVCC just under three years ago, and we formed a quick friendship. (Of course, my wife says I can make friends with a lamp post!) When he & Jackie first arrived on scene at FVCC, Karen and I would invite them out every Thursday night for Survivor. It was a great time of connection, and the last three years contain a lot of other great memories with them. Jim...did you ever get a call to be on a season of Survivor?!?

Jim & Jackie - thanks for making the trip over. It really meant a lot to me! Looking forward to spending more time together in the near future...

New Arrival!!!

We have a new arrival to the Great Oaks family!

Jonas Tate Rea was born on Friday, October 12th to Jason & Heidi Rea. He weighed in at 8 lbs. 15 oz. and was 19.25 inches long.

Tate (they are going to call him by his middle name) and mom are doing great. I got to hold him and visit with the family yesterday afternoon; I'll post a picture soon.

Congrats, Jason & Heidi!

Viva Las Vegas!

I am heading to Vegas this Saturday for a behind-the-scenes look at the ministry structure and philosophy of Central Christian Church. I will be spending an entire day with their staff of small groups pastors as well as some one-on-one time with a couple of different leaders from the church. I will keep you posted on what I learn!

Can't wait to stay at the Trethewey Bed & Breakfast and spend extended time with some great mentors in both ministry and marriage!!!

Weekend in Review :: 10-14-07

WORSHIP
All to You - Lincoln Brewster
Friend of God - Israel Houghton
Come Thou Fount - David Crowder version
If I Had a Million Dollars - Bare Naked Ladies
The Solid Rock - Charlie Hall

MESSAGE
Series: What's In Your Wallet?
Message: Are You Rich? :: Bill White

Notable Quotes...

• "If you have more than you need, you are rich."
• "When I am blessed with more than I need, it is for the sake of someone in need."
  

Check out - www.globalrichlist.com to see where you rank in comparison with the rest of the world. (Hint: You are most likely in the top 1% of richest people in the world!)

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Baptism class will be offered on Sunday, October 21st from 2:00-4:00pm. Baptisms will be held during services on Sunday, November 18th.
• Small Group Leader's Luncheon - Sunday, October 28th from 12:15-2:30pm. Lunch will be provided; childcare will not be provided. Please RSVP to Chris at 309.383.4330 or chris@greatoakscc.org

Light the Night

Here’s an idea for your small group to consider. Nate Westerfield and his small group have done this for the past couple of years, and they have found that it is a great time of service to the community and that it opens doors for conversations about the church. It is called “Light the Night”.

On Halloween (or whatever night your community does trick-or-treating) gather your group members together at one person’s home and set up some simple games in the yard (not in the house) for kids in the neighborhood to play. Keep the games fairly simple – bozo buckets, bean bag toss, ring toss, hula hoops, etc. Be creative but simple. You may want to consider having some hot chocolate or coffee available for parents while the kids are playing.

When the kids are done playing, give them a pre-packaged bag of candy with a brochure from the church or other information about the church. Be sure to set up some extra lighting for the yard so people can see better and so that the house stands out in the neighborhood. If your group members have young kids, they will still want to go trick-or-treating, so share the responsibility of supervising the games among group members while taking your own kids door-to-door.

Nate said that the kids come back two or three times during the evening to play the games and hang out. It is during those visits that parents will often ask who you are and why you are doing this. That is your opportunity to let them know you are a small group from Great Oaks and that you just wanted to give the kids something extra to do while trick-or-treating. There’s no need to get into deep theological conversations or try to convert someone to Christ on the front lawn. This is simply a method to connect with the people in your neighborhood.

Keep looking for ways to redeem the culture around us for the sake of Christ. A big thanks goes out to Nate & Kalee for this great idea!

A Great Friend

I had the pleasure of spending the last couple of days with one of my best friends and fellow pastors - Steve Osborne.

Steve is the Worship Minister at Fox Valley Christian Church where I served and attended for the last 11 years. During our 8 years of working together, we became hard and fast friends who stuck together through some great times and some really tough times.

I've got to be honest - friends like Steve don't come around every day. He is someone that I can talk to about anything, and, even more important, I can just sit with and not say a word if I don't feel like it. (And if you know me very well, you know that I feel compelled to fill silence with conversation!)

Steve - thanks for making the trip down to see me. Can't wait to see you again!

The Blend

I found my local coffeeshop! It's called "The Blend", and it just opened today in Washington.

They've got a great atmosphere - contemporary design and color; tables, booths, and couches; free wi-fi; and an assortment of books to peruse. And I love their tag-line: where coffee and community come together.

I can't wait to settle in for a couple of hours with the laptop and a good book!

Small Group Trend #2 – From a place to belong to a people to become

Small Group Leaders: The following is the second offering from Bill Donahue, Small Groups Pastor at Willow Creek Community Church.

The emphasis on “belonging” is critical to any group, team, or family. I remember in college running for elections in a club. We have “eating clubs” instead of frats and sororities but the idea was the same. It was a social gathering place where we ate meals, had parties, or just hung out and studied or played pool. There were about 100 guys and 5 leadership slots. I was nominated for all 5. Each time we counted votes, I had come in second place. Whether it was social chairman, athletic chairman or vice president, when the votes were cast I was left behind. Five of my closest friends were selected and they all went out to celebrate afterwards—without me. Even though I enjoyed them and the club, suddenly there was no room at the Inn for me. Belonging is key.

But we cannot stop there in group life. We are called to become something – a holy people, a redemptive community, an active expression of the hands and feet of Jesus. I think that is why I am so excited about the missional communities that are emerging—at Willow and around the world. This move from an institutional approach to incarnational is refreshing. Instead of “come to church and we will connect you to a group” the focus becomes “let’s become a group that serves some people then we can ultimately connect them to the church.” This “serve first” mentality fostered by Denise Van Eck and others at Mars Hill in Grand Rapids is an emerging trend. Jon Peacock and the Axis team at Willow have 10 missional communities where they have moved into apartments largely filled with singles. These groups are living among the homeless, the poor, the wealthy, minorities – up close and personal.

This is an expression of group life that we are looking to learn from as we move forward.

Anonymous Worship

I decided to attend Northwoods Community Church this evening for their mid-week service. Northwoods is a sister-church of Great Oaks and is located about 30 minutes away.

One of the struggles for pastors is to find times when they can simply worship God without the distraction of being "in charge". It is a delicate balance on most Sunday mornings to truly worship God without worrying about transitions, cues, etc. As such, it is always refreshing to go to another church where you can be anonymous and simply experience worship and listen to a fresh voice impart the Word of God into your life. This is also why conferences are so important for pastors.

I got to the church about 45 minutes early, so I just sat in the parking lot trying to catch up on my Bible-thru-the-year reading that my accountability partners and I have been doing. (I'm only four weeks behind now!!!)

When it was time for the service, I got out of the car and started walking towards the building. I noticed a woman getting out of her car directly in front of me, so I shifted my course slightly to walk around the other side of the car. As I did so, she looks at me and says, "Didn't I see you at Great Oaks on Sunday?" So much for anonymity!

It ends up that she had been to Great Oaks two or three times - one of which was this past Sunday when I introduced our guest speaker and then led the church in communion. I explained to her that I was a new staff member and decided to check out Northwoods for the evening. Her boyfriend soon walked up and she introduced me to him as well. Ends up he was at Great Oaks on Sunday, too.

They invited me to sit with them for the evening, and I graciously accepted. As we walked into the foyer, we saw the auditorium doors hadn't been opened yet, but that didn't deter her boyfriend. Turns out, he was going to be commissioned during the service for an upcoming missions trip to the Dominican Republic. He promptly leads us through a side door onto the floor directly in front of the stage, and proceeds to introduce me to two staff members and an elder of the church. So much for anonymity!

Despite not being able to just be a face in the crowd, it was a great night of worship and celebration as they baptized ten people and commissioned twelve people for the trip to the DR.

My true purpose in going - to worship God without distraction - was definitely realized. The fact that I got to meet two great people who may begin attending Great Oaks and, as it turns out, may be wanting a pastor to marry them soon, was simply confirmation that God is always at work...even when I think I'm not...

Saving Grace

I was just getting ready to turn the TV off last night when an episode of Saving Grace began. I had seen commercials for the show but had never seen an episode, so I decided to stay up and see what it was all about.

If you are not familiar with the show, click here for an overview. In a nutshell, Holly Hunter plays Grace Hanadarko, a cynical detective who lives hard and fast by drinking too much, sleeping with numerous men (most of them married), and defying authority. One night she cries out to God for help after hitting a man while driving drunk. Suddenly an angel appears and begins to spend time with Grace trying to help her straighten out her life.

Before I go any further...I am not endorsing this show. It is laced with profanity and sexual overtones, so if you choose to watch it, you have been warned.

I am, however, stating that it is an interesting collision of the secular and the sacred. My gut is telling me that most Christians would condemn the show; however, in doing so they are also unwittingly condemning Scripture. Let me explain...

Throughout the Bible, we encounter people just like Grace. Think of the woman at the well (John 4:1-42).

We read her story without truly grasping who she was. We sanitize the story to make ourselves feel better. We read that she had five husbands and was living with a man who wasn't even her husband, but we don't dwell on that fact because we prefer to fast-forward to who she was after she encountered Jesus.

That's the way we like our Christianity - clean, safe, and sanitary. Unfortunately, the people who really need to encounter Jesus live messy lives.

We watch shows like Saving Grace and are repulsed by Hunter's character, but we don't stop to think that these are the very people that God loves and wants to embrace the most. Remember Jesus words, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." (Matthew 9:12)

If we are to be a people and a church after God's own heart, then we had better get used to spending time with and getting to know people just like Grace. It will be messy at times, but it is what God desires the most.

Weekend in Review :: 9-30-07

Charlie Dean, Pastor of Young Adults at Northwoods Community Church, was our guest speaker this weekend. Bill gave him free reign to teach on any subject, so he talked about anger and forgiveness. Charlie is high-energy and did great with the topic; I think people really connected with what he had to say.

We did communion after the message, and it worked great to transition into a time of personal reflection as we participated in a practice that Jesus himself established for the church. Following the teaching found in Matthew 5:23-24, we challenged people to let the trays pass if there was a relationship in their life that needed to be reconciled.

Nate was gone this week at Innovate 2007 at Granger Community Church (check out his blog for his thoughts on the conference), so he had a volunteer lead worship. Dave did a great job leading the church into the presence of God. During communion he did a song by American Idol contestant and worship minister, Chris Sligh. It was just him and his guitar while we took communion. I loved it! Here's the set list...

* King of Majesty - United Live - Hillsong
* You Are Good - Lincoln Brewster
* Hallelujah (Your Love is Amazing) - Vineyard
* How Great is Our God - Chris Tomlin
* Communion Song - Chris Sligh (American Idol guy)
* Blessed Be Your Name - Matt Redman

We start a new six-week series this coming Sunday. The series is called "What's In Your Wallet?" and will be focusing on stewardship and generous giving. This weekend I will be setting the stage for the series and dealing with common misconceptions people have when it comes to the church and money. Can't wait!!!

Small Group Trend #1: Beyond Group Format to Group Process

Small Group Leaders :: Here is a great article by Bill Donahue from Willow Creek Community Church. It looks like he will have a series of these, so I will keep them coming for you...

"As I continue to observe communities in action there are a variety of components that make them thrive. But many groups get too focused on format while ignoring process. Think of process as the environment you create for growth, like ingredients for a growing a plant in a greenhouse. It needs water, oxygen, nutrients, and temperature control. All this takes place in a structure—a greenhouse—made of glass and pipe, with electrical wiring and ventilation systems. You the nutrients and the structure—but groups often focus too heavily on the structure.

If you look at it another way, format is the skeletal and muscular systems in a body. Process is the nervous and circulatory system. In groups that pay attention to process leaders observe relational connections, recurring themes and issues, follow the flow of the Spirit (not just the curriculum), and are attentive to communication patterns. What is the group climate like? Do people give and receive feedback well? Are all opinions welcome? Is it safe? Are we free to speak truth about God, self and others?

You need enough structure to facilitate and guard the process. That is why leaders (or guides or shepherds) are called for in the bible. They guide and facilitate process—they make sure all the ingredients are present for growth. And they make sure there is just enough structure to keep the process moving. It’s a tension leaders must navigate." - Bill Donahue

Why I Blog

So here I am...sitting in my overstuffed chair with my feet up on the ottoman. Karen and the kids are all taking a nap, so the house is finally quiet for a few moments. I'm taking the opportunity to catch up on my blogs that I track. I love learning from other leaders and catching up on stories from friends. It got me thinking about why we blog. Here's what I came up with...

1. Connection - Inherent in all of mankind is the need to be connected with other individuals. Blogs and other social networking sites allow us to maintain some level of connection with people all over the world. No matter where our friends are or where other leaders live, we can feel like we are a part of their lives. Yes...I would love to sit down face-to-face with the authors of the blogs I track, but it probably won't happen any time soon. Until that day does occur, I will continue to connect from a distance.
   
   
2. Transparency - As a pastor, one of the core values I feel I need to bring to those I lead is transparency. They need to know who I am...especially since most people in the church probably won't have a chance to sit down for a cup of coffee with me. They need to know my likes and my dislikes, my joys and my struggles, my coherent thoughts and my random thoughts. They need to know that I am a real person who deals with the same issues they deal with whether they be parenting, marriage, finances, or spiritual struggles.
   
   
3. Discipleship - As the church grows larger, there is a greater need to disciple people. Blogging can provide pastors with an expansive network of discipleship partners. As we teach and lead through the blogosphere, people throughout the church and around the world can enter into conversation and debate. We can provide these "on-line disciples" with resources and additional insight into Scriptural interpretation and application. For teaching pastors, especially, we can take what we talked about on Sunday morning and explore it a little bit deeper on Monday morning. This way, the conversation can keep happening throughout the week as people ruminate upon the truths we presented during the weekend services.
   
   
4. Stewardship - Blogging is wise stewardship of time and energy. Imagine the time it would take to sit down with every person in the church over a cup of coffee so that they could get to know me on a more personal level. Imagine the time it would take to personally disciple every member of the church. Even if I did all of this in small groups of people, it would occupy entirely too much time. It would take me away from my other responsibilities in the church, and, more importantly, it would take me away from my family far too often. Yes...blogging takes time, but it is a much wiser use of my time than trying to be all things to all people.

So those are the reasons why I blog. How about you?

How Do You Handle Childcare for Adult Small Groups?

Childcare is one of the biggest hurdles that adult small groups will face. Another major hurdle is birthing new groups, but we'll talk about that one later.

Here are some ideas (taken from multiple sources and personal experience) that you may want to consider. There are a few other ideas out there, but they do not match up with our culture/philosophy at Great Oaks (e.g. Starting Point is the only small group allowed to meet on Sunday morning during Children's Ministry programming).

• Parents are responsible for finding their own childcare.*
• Parents pitch in to pay for childcare services that are provided in the host home.
• Parents pitch in to pay for childcare services that are provided in a nearby home.*
• Parents take turns with childcare duties in the host home or a nearby home.
• Parents in different small groups that meet at different times cover each others' childcare needs.
• A small group consists of two subgroups. One provides childcare while the other meets, and then they switch places.
• Small groups have some nights where childcare is provided and other nights where it is not.
  
• Small groups are designed for the entire family to participate.
• Retirees in the church provide childcare services for small groups as their ministry.
• The church pays for a babysitter if the parents cannot afford one.

Let me know if you have any other ideas that you have tried. They can be ones that have succeeded or failed. Who knows? An idea that didn't work for you could work great for another group.

*Preferred option if at all possible...

Great Quote

"We cannot settle for anything less than Jesus' dream of community." Building a Church of Small Groups by Bill Donahue & Russ Robsinon

What is Jesus' dream of community? Read John 17...

Growing Pains

Children and churches both experience natural and predictable growing pains.

For some reason, people expect growing pains in their children but not in their churches. As the church moves through the various stages of growth, numerous dynamics are experienced.

As the church grows and more people come through the doors, there is a sense of loss at the family feel the church possessed when it first started. One day, the core group looks around and says, "Who are all of these people?"

As the church grows and more people who were previously unchurched join the family, the teaching begins to be focused on helping them grow in their faith and their knowledge of Scripture. This can leave the mature Christians who started the church wondering where the "meat" is that they are wanting to eat.

As the church grows and more worship services are added, there can be an acute sense of disconnect from other people in the church. First service people don't know third service people, and the Saturday night crowd never sees the light of day on Sunday morning. The worship services themselves begin to take on a more "professional" feel.

As the church grows and more leaders emerge, there are greater expectations placed upon past leaders to become specialists. They are expected to change where they spend their time and with whom they spend their time.

As the church grows and more volunteers are needed, volunteers come face-to-face with job descriptions and higher levels of excellence being placed upon them. Musicians and vocalists must audition. Potential leaders must be interviewed. Some volunteer roles are reserved for a few highly gifted people.

All of these changes and more can create a sense of frustration and loss in people. Most church members will tell you they want the church to grow and reach more people for Christ. But here's the rub...they don't want the church to change how it does things.

Let me ask some simple questions...as a child grows, do parents change how they relate to that child? Do they change how they dress that child or feed that child or spend time with that child? Of course! And the same goes for the church.

Encounter with a Soldier

I was doing some reading at Panera today and met a young man on crutches. I struck up a conversation with him by asking what happened. Turns out it was a motorcycle accident that happened in June. Somebody pulled out in front of him, and he flew over their hood about 20 feet...broke his pelvis and fractured his leg in a couple of places.

He went on to tell me he was home on leave after a second tour in Iraq with the Marines. Get this...he said it was a blessing in disguise! He is getting some extended time home with his family that many soldiers don't get.

Do me a favor? I don't care what your political leanings are towards the war in Iraq...just send up a prayer right now for our soldiers. I've got some guys I grew up with back home in Newton that are over there, and I know they, as well as all the others, would appreciate your prayers. Thanks!

Random Thoughts

* I am teaching the college group tomorrow night. They are watching Rob Bell's Nooma videos and then discussing. Should be good...

* I just had an Oscar Mayer Fast Frank microwaveable hot dog in a bun. It was surprisingly good! The packaging is designed to lightly toast the bun, too.

* I love sitting around and dreaming about the future with other leaders. Just had a jam session with Jason & Dan sitting on bean bags in the Student Room talking about how to integrate Children, Student & Adult Ministries. We are reviewing the "Think Orange" movement from Reggie Joiner and will be reading The Big Idea by Dave Ferguson next.

* Got a call from a small group leader who had too many people sign up for her group. Great problem to have! We discussed options, and I set her loose to decide the best course.

* I'm currently reading Building a Church of Small Groups by Bill Donahue & Russ Robinson.

* Can't wait for Vegas to connect with some great leaders and long-time friends!

* I missed my workout session this morning. I'll do it tonight after dinner sometime. We talked in staff meeting this morning about the need to stay active and in good physical condition. (I am balancing the hot dog referenced earlier with some yogurt and whole grain Wheat Thins.)

* We are launching a new series in two weeks called "What's In Your Wallet?" I am teaching the first and last Sundays of the series. Watch out for David Spade and those barbarians!!!

* I watched some interesting videos on YouTube yesterday at somebody's house. The people who make these have way too much time on their hands.

* Barq's rootbeer is the best!

Weekend in Review :: 09-23-07

We had a great morning as we wrapped up the 2-week mini-series on authentic community.

Bill talked for a few minutes on needing to have people in our lives who have "refrigerator rights". These are people who have earned the right to open up our lives (our refrigerators) and see what's inside. Sometimes they will even need to tell us that something stinks and needs to be taken care of. (We borrowed this metaphor from Craig Groeschel.) The church responded well to the metaphor. He emphasized that small groups are the optimal environment for accountability, care, and Biblical study.

Nate and the band did a great job leading us in worship. It was an amazing experience to stand in the front row and hear all of the people singing when the band stopped playing for a couple of minutes. I wish I could have seen the audience from the stage at that moment. Here's the set list...

* Let the Praises Ring :: Lincoln Brewster
* I Will Boast :: Paul Baloche
* Beautiful One :: Tim Hughes
* Did You Feel the Mountains Tremble :: Delirious

I concluded the service with a few minutes talking about the picture of the early church painted in Acts 2:42-47 with an emphasis on the fact that they met in both large and small group environments. I then invited three couples on stage for a 20-minute panel discussion on what actually happens in the life of a small group. The goal was to alleviate the fear of the unknown by "pulling back the curtain" on small groups (think Wizard of Oz).

I heard from several people that they really appreciated the format we used this morning with the panel discussion. In my opinion, it is good to hear things every now and again from the mouths of "non-professional Christians" (i.e. pastors)!

We had a number of new people sign up for small groups through the Kick-Off. I will post actual numbers in a week or so after I get the rosters back from small group leaders. Early indicators tell me the Small Group Kick-Off was a great success!