Feel the Momentum
There’s been a lot of great things happening around the Elmhurst CRC community lately. Here’s a short catalog of just a few of the momentum building events that happened during a four week stretch over the summer.
- We had an amazing group of new members join ECRC, more than two dozen strong.
- We had thirty young adults make public profession of faith along with some beautiful baptisms.
- We entered into a partnership with the Ukraine Bible Church of Chicago which meets every Friday evening and Sunday afternoon at our church building. The Ukrainian Church has ordained their first Deacons into service and recently baptized new followers of Jesus in the waters of Lake Geneva.
- We’re working hard behind the scenes to bring the Elmhurst Farmers Market into our parking lot in 2025. Our campus is capable of helping the market grow and flourish while providing the opportunity to access farm fresh food and bring it straight to our local tables so we can better grow and flourish. I’m so excited for this possibility. We’ll have the opportunity to have thousands of friends and neighbors over to our “front porch” at church and offer some basic hospitality to the wider community as well as helping the Farmer’s Market to succeed.
- More than ever, Elmhurst CRC is welcoming people from all walks of life and all corners of the world. A couple of weeks ago, I spoke with worship attenders from West Africa, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico, and even the USA. God is starting to do something new in our midst.
One possible reaction to reading the above might be, “Woah, Pastor Gregg. That’s a lot of new stuff. It might be time to slow down and take stock of what God is doing here.” I appreciate that! Whenever God is stirring up new Kingdom growth, it’s crucial to strategically get on board with where God’s Spirit is actively working.
Another possible reaction to reading the above might be, “Wow, Pastor Gregg. If God is working in new ways, it sounds like it’s time to step on the gas!” I really appreciate that sentiment. There are seasons in the Spirit where remarkable growth can occur. I believe we are just entering into one of those seasons. One of the ways of increasing the spiritual momentum this fall will be through the initiation of our Hearts Ablaze campaign. While the campaign will be a focal point in our worship services from mid-October through November, I’d love to invite you to a preview event this coming Sunday, September 22, 2024, in the Garden Room, immediately following the worship service. RSVP for the preview and brunch here. The preview event will include brunch and run from 11:30 through 1:30 p.m.
This campaign is first and foremost about our congregation coming together to lean into the future that God has for us – and – secondarily about giving sacrificially to God through ECRC to see that future come into being.
With all the positive momentum already happening around our church, I keep asking and praying, “What might be possible if we all give sacrificially to God’s vision for us in the years ahead?” If part of you wonders about that, too, I’d love to see you Sunday for our preview event at which we’ll get into the details! Much Grace to you,
– Pastor Gregg