August 2021 Connections

Connections Proclaiming the GOSPEL

local & global stories, news and events of College Church

"I NOTICED A MIDDLE-AGED FARM WOMAN—EYEING ME CLOSELY." Read "Same Kind of Different"

by John Maust on page 12.

AUGUST 2021

Life Lessons

I Believe

Locally Sourced

Two Girls and a Four Square Ball

New Words, New Life

Covid19 and Beyond

WALLACE ALCORN | 7

FREDERICK W. MILLER | 11

NATE AND LAURA AMODIO | 14

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Connections August 2021

August Highlights

4

Prayer Gatherings

6

Two Girls and a Four-Square Ball WALLACE ALCORN

7

A Task Force at Work RON CHIODRAS

8

Women’s Bible Study MICHELLE KELLEY Church Plant Update ZACH FALLON New Words, New Life FREDERICK W. MILLER

332 E. Seminary, Wheaton, IL 60187 (630) 668-0878 | www.college-church.org

Same Kind of Different JOHN MAUST

12

Campus Ministries Changes: Covid-19 and Beyond NATE AND LAURA AMODIO

14

New Members

16

College Church Fellowship Meals

19

10

The Problem of Eternity WIL TRIGGS

20

10

Milestones

21

11

Looking Ahead • September Ministry Preview • New Sermon Series

22 23

Connections is a monthly newsletter published for and about the people of College Church. Send news items and suggestions to: connections@college-church.org. Keep Connections in mind to promote a community event to the College Church family. Send event information by the following dates: For the September issue: August 9 | For the October issue: September 9 | For the November issue: October 9

CONTRIBUTORS

1

2

1 Wallace Alcorn continues to grace the pages of Connections with his writing. Read “Two Girls and a Four-Square Ball” on page 7.

2 Ron Chiodras a member of the task force for the Sanctity

of Human Life, provides a look back this month at how the task force got started and what it’s all about.

3 Michelle Kelley ministry associate for women’s ministries,

3

4 5

is looking forward to seeing women studying God’s Word this fall.

Get the details on the fall study on page 10.

4 Zach Fallon has an update and prayer requests for our newest church plant, Christ Church of South Metro Atlanta. See page 10.

5

We welcome Fred Miller to Connections this month as he shares his “I Believe” story with us on page 11. Fred is also featured in the new members section, so a welcome to the College Church family is in order.

6 John Maust In his article, “Same Kind of Different,” (page

5

6 3

12) College Church missionary John Maust writes about an experience from his days as a young journalist and reminds us of the global nature of the church.

7 Nate and Laura Amodio College Church evangelists with InterVarsity, talked to us about the changes they experienced in ministry and life during the pandemic in their interview, “COVID-19 and Beyond” on page 14.

8 Wil Triggs likes to think about how to express the love of

7

8

Jesus to people who don’t know him. He enjoys Kids’ Harbor’s Kindergarten and is committed to advancing global communications through short-term missions, including MAI’s LittWorld conferences, and prayer support for the persecuted church.

COVER PHOTO: Kathryn McBride

Our Pastors, Directors and Residents: Eric Channing, pastor of congregational care and family ministries | Cheryce Berg, director of children’s ministries | Julie Clemens, director of disability ministries | Erik Dewar, pastor of worship and music | Baxter Helm, high school pastor | Dan Hiben, middle school pastor | Tim Hollinger, technology director | Diane Jordan, director of visitation and care | Howard Kern, facilities director | Josh Maurer, pastoral resident | Curt Miller, missions pastor | Josh Moody, senior pastor | Ben Panner, college pastor | Mindy Rynbrandt, director of women’s ministries | John Seward, executive pastor | Nancy Singer, director of administration and finance | Wil Triggs, director of communications | Michael Walker, pastoral resident Our Council of Elders: David Bea | Mark Berg | Howard Costley, chair | Dave Gieser, vice chair | Randy Jahns| Heinrich Johnsen | Dan Lindquist | Josh Moody, senior pastor | Tom Nussbaum | Jeff Oslund | Roger Sandberg | Jeremy Taylor, secretary| Tad Williams

AUGUST HIGHLIGHTS

Sunday Morning Services Feel free to invite people to worship with us.

Join us at 8:00, 9:30 and 11:15 a.m. Masks and social distancing required for 8:00 a.m. Mask-optional services at 9:30 and 11:15 with no registration or social distancing needed.

Livestream broadcast is at 9:30 with a rebroadcast at 11:15. You can watch it at college-church.org/livestream • August 1 Encourage One Another—Discover: Each One Invite One, Hebrews 10:25 and Communion • August 8 Encourage One Another—Grow: Each One Engage One, Hebrews 10:25 and Infant Dedication • August 15 Encourage One Another—Impact: Each One Serve the One, Hebrews 10:25 • August 22 Spiritual Warfare—“The Whole Armor of God” Ephesians 6:10-13 • August 29 Spiritual Warfare—“The Belt of Truth” Ephesians 6:14

Summer Book Group This year’s book: Delighting in the Trinity

Adult Communities

Join us Thursday nights for our summer book discussion.

We’ll meet in the Commons at 7:00 p.m.

VERITAS THROUGH THE SUMMER

• August 5 Chapter 4—The Christian Life: The Spirit Beautifies

Join us in the Commons at 9:30 a.m. as Dr. Daniel Block leads us in exploring Ezekiel’s vision of the temple in the last nine chapters of the book of Ezekiel and his vision of the new Israel in the new land. The last two words of the book say it all, “The LORD is there!” (yhwh)

• August 12 Chapter 5—“Who Among the Gods Is Like You, O LORD?” and Conclusion: No Other Choice

Children’s Ministries (SCHEDULE THROUGH AUGUST 15)

JOINT HEIRS

9:30 a.m. Nursery and Bible School

Joint Heirs Adult Community is meeting the first and third Sundays of the month, in person and mask-optional as well as on Zoom. They are studying the Right Now Media series Teach Us to Pray by Ranjit David.

(birth through fifth grade)

9:30 a.m. BOOST! Family Discipleship Outreach—August 1

HERE'S THE SCHEDULE FOR THE SUMMER:

Loving Like Jesus—August 15

• August 1

11:15 a.m. Nursery & Preschool

• August 15 • August 29 • September 5 – Labor Day, no class

4

Family Worship Sunday—August 22 (No Kids’ Harbor programs)

KIDS' HARBOR FALL KICKOFF—August 22

High School (HYACKS)

8 a.m. Nursery

• Summer Bash August 6—Close out the summer with the HYACKS fam at our end of Summer Bash! We will gather at Graf Park from 7 to 9 p.m. Hope to see you there!

9:30 a.m. Nursery and Bible School (birth - 5th grade)

11:15 a.m. Nursery, Children's Church and WOW 5 p.m. Nursery and Preschool WEDNESDAY PROGRAMS BEGIN—September 15

Middle School (KMs) (SUMMER MINISTRY ENDS ON AUGUST 6)

• Summer Ministry ends on August 6 • Kickoff Retreat August 22—Calling all high school students!

Come join us for our Kickoff Retreat at Camp Manitoqua.

This one-day retreat will be full of games, laughter and vision for the fall.

• Our start date for fall ministry is Sunday, August 29.

HYACKS will meet in the Crossings building on Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m., Sunday evenings 6:45-8:15 p.m., and on Wednesday evenings 6:45-8:15 p.m.

STARS Sunday morning classes live and in person 9:30 a.m.

KMS WEDNESDAY

Tuesdays Together — through August 17

Our weekly large-group gathering will kick off on Wednesday, August 25, 6:45-8:15 p.m. KMs Wednesday is a fun, highenergy gathering focused on relational connection and a clear gospel presentation. The evening will consist of fun group games, worship, gospel-centered teaching from the Bible, and connection with peers and mentors in grade-based groups. This is a great place to discover Jesus and invite friends, whether they are Christians or not.

5 p.m. and runs till you’re ready to go home.

FOUNDATIONS Our Sunday morning ministry, will start on Sunday, August 29, 9:30-10:30 a.m. Foundations is where students can learn the basics of the Christian faith through teaching, discussion and fellowship. Three Sundays a month will focus on teaching, one Sunday a month with be a Fellowship Sunday. This year's theme is Real Questions, Real Answers, asking the big questions about Christianity and seeing what the Bible says about those questions. This is a great place for students who want to grow in their understanding of Christian belief.

FOOD. Bring your own picnic or buy tasty dinners or treats from one of the food trucks. Bring your own chair if you like.

MUSIC. Every week we’ll have tunes that set the tone for conversation. Live music some weeks.

FUN. Check out our weekly themes! Inflatables and more for kids. Prizes each week. All ages welcome.

TOGETHER. Make some new friends or catch up with people you haven’t seen in a while. A place to gather face to face.

College Group • August 22—New Student Welcome 11 a.m. in Commons Hall • August 29—First College Group 11 a.m. in Commons Hall (every Sunday, same time, same place) • August 30-September 1—Home Group Launch Week

5

Women’s Ministries Starting Wednesday, September 15!

Registration opens August 2.

Women's Bible Study seeks to foster spiritual growth by bringing women together around God's Word. Our weekly study combines individual preparation, small group discussion and expository teaching to deepen our understanding of Scripture.

In September, we'll kick off the year with The Storyline of the Bible.

Together we'll explore God's unfolding plan to redeem a people for himself through Christ for his own glory. In the spring semester, we'll do an intensive study on Matthew 5:1-12—The Sermon on the Mount. We'll look verse by verse at this familiar passage seeking to understand and apply these challenging words of Jesus.

We hope you'll join us!

September 15, 2021–April 20, 2022 Wednesday mornings: 9:15-11 a.m.

PRAYER GATHERINGS ONLINE & IN PERSON Call the church office or email info@college-church.org for details on these prayer meetings.

Sunday Morning Prayer 8-8:40 a.m. in C101 Led by Pastor Eric Channing

Monday Morning Prayer 6:15-7:15 a.m. in C104A Wednesday Night Prayer (Online) 7-8 p.m.

Led by the Missions Office • August 1: Daniel and Julieanne Tehan • August 11: Speaker TBD • August 18: Speaker TBD • August 25: Speaker TBD

Friday Lunch Prayer for the Persecuted Church (In person) 12-1 p.m. in C101.

Hannah Prayer Fellowship will meet on Wednesday, August 11, at 1:30 p.m. in Commons C101, across from the reception desk. Joan Cole will be sharing with us about how God is working in Indonesia. We hope you will be able to join us.

Aaron-Hur Prayer Fellowship will meet on Thursday, August 26, at 7 p.m. at the home of Eric and Marilyn Enstrom, 1460 Stoddard Avenue in Wheaton (630) 682-8341. Our guests will be Steve and Lois Dresselhaus, serving in Mexico.

Our Prayer Pulse email goes out every Monday. You can get prayer updates via that email. Sign up by clicking "Enews signup" on our website. If you already receive other emails from College Church, click "manage my preferences" at the bottom of any email and select Prayer Pulse to add yourself.

6

LIFE LESSONS

Two Girls and a Four-Square Ball Wallace Alcorn

“Daddy! Wait a minute!”

“Honey, I don’t have time. The hospital just called, and I have to be with a little girl who’s dying.”

I didn’t look at Allison, then 12, but I caught a glimpse of the defective red ball she was holding out. I knew what she wanted.

I had promised to exchange it at the Fort Lewis PX. I’d also promised her—probably several times—that I would play Four Square when I “had some time.” But not much of that was left for my daughter these days. Suddenly, there came to mind my jostling her in my arms as I carried her to bed when she was but three. “Daddy, you sure know how to make little girls happy,” she had said. My thought back then: Not little girls but my little girl.

I turned, and this time I saw my daughter. “OK, Honey.

Toss the ball. I’ll take it back—if I have time.”

“Thank you, Daddy!” she exclaimed with joy (putting more stock in my words than there was). I casually flipped the ball over my shoulder into the back seat of the car. (Well, at least I’d gotten it that far.)

As I drove to Madigan Army Medical Center, I concentrated on Lisa, an 11-year-old black girl dying of sickle cell anemia. At first, I’d felt awkward, being white, as I ministered to this family. But her parents, an Air Force sergeant and his wife, dutifully accepted me as their chaplain. Lisa, especially in her last days, had grown emotionally dependent upon me. And I had become emotionally implicated with her beyond the limits of professionalism. I just had to be with her when she died. (I felt good about meaning so much to this little girl—almost important.)

As I entered pediatric ICU, the nurse’s eyes signaled nothing more could be done. This is it.

I nodded toward Lisa’s parents and grandmother as they stood on one side of the bed. Her two militant brothers stood near the door, their faces stone-like.

I turned toward Lisa. A stranger would have said she was expressionless, but I sensed remains of the familiar weak but soft smile. She faintly squeezed my hand.

I moved close to her ear and softly sang the gospel songs she and I had agreed were our favorites. Then I came to one especially

poignant: Precious Lord, take my hand / Lead me on, help me stand / I am tired, I am weak, I am worn / Thru the storm, thru the night / Lead me on to the light / Take my hand, precious Lord / Lead me home.

When we finished singing, for a moment I thought Lisa was thinking on this…silently, motionlessly. Then the monitor mechanically announced the end of a life.

I stayed with the family for more than an hour and suffered agonizing discomfort. Her ancient grandmother had an uncomplicated, uncritical faith: “Praise the Lord—she’s with Jesus now!” I resented that she so easily accepted what I could not.

Meanwhile, her brothers’ anger erupted, and they acted out: Why did an innocent black girl have to die in a honkey hospital of something that, somehow, had to be Whitey’s fault? I could neither explain nor defend. I didn’t understand.

For several minutes in the contest between naive faith and irrational rebellion, I had overlooked Lisa’s father and mother.

But I had so little to say. I couldn’t tell them I understood because there was no way I could understand what it’s like to lose an 11-year-old child. Surely, I said something. But I doubt if they heard. Supposing there was nothing left for me to do, I left.

Back in my car, I dropped my head on the steering wheel and cried for a very long time. I felt guilty. Because I am white and she was black? This isn’t logical. I had lost more than Lisa: I had lost something inside me that I needed to recover.

Then something I had been taking lightly weighed heavily upon me. A few minutes later, I soberly held out a deflated red ball to the PX clerk. Without comment she handed me its replacement, and I left also without speaking. There was nothing to say.

I played Four-Square that day. All afternoon. With just one notso-little-anymore girl. A special girl whose specialness grew with every bounce of that red ball. And I became daddy again.

7

A Task Force at Work Ron Chiodras

It was June of 2016 when I met with then pastor of small groups and outreach, Steven Lee, to discuss the creation of a pro-life committee at College Church. Steven came to College Church from Pastor John Piper’s church, Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minnesota, and was no stranger to a thriving pro-life ministry.

Later that summer, College Church member Paige Cunningham spoke at a Summer Forum one Sunday about the state of the pro-life work in the U.S. At that forum we distributed cards that described the new committee. Several people responded and the Sanctity of Human Life Task Force was born. We held our first meeting in September 2016.

• For our ministry partner Caring Network, which is on the frontlines in its efforts to rescue unborn babies from abortion, and to bring the gospel to mothers and fathers.

• For elected officials—on both the federal and state levels—for judges and anyone else involved in decisions regarding the most vulnerable of image-bearers.

We also pray that our congregation will be known as a congregation in which faithful men and women promote lifeaffirming decisions, and a culture where women and men who face pregnancy decisions discover the gospel of Jesus Christ and are transformed by it and have abundant life for their families.

As a newly formed task force, we established three goals:

PREPARE

PRAY

• We will work with our ministry partner Caring Network, to educate the members of our congregation about the resources and events available through this exceptional organization.

• For the unborn • For the woman with an unwanted pregnancy who may believe abortion is her only option, and for the father, whose voice is the most important one in determining what his girlfriend/wife decides.

8

• We will present to the church material and other resources to help our members clearly articulate the case for life and to know how to respond lovingly to those who see abortion as a viable option.

ENGAGE • We will communicate news about situations and legislation, which require immediate prayer and action.

• We will participate in activities such as the March for Life in order to be a voice for those who have no voice.

• We will create opportunities for our church to generously provide diapers and other baby items for women who are pregnant and need this kind of material assistance.

And speaking of generously providing, a Baby Items Drive is scheduled for Saturday, August 28, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in front of the Sanctuary. Please mark your calendars; more details will follow.

But what happens to all the diapers and baby items you donate? First, the donations make their way to Church of the Resurrection in Wheaton where volunteers sort and then store them in an area at the church designated solely for this purpose.

When local Caring Network clients need these diapers, wipes and other supplies, they are directed to Rez to pick up what they need.

Recently some of these items made their way to a church in Chicago. This fascinating story begins with a local pastor who has a connection with Rev. Michael Wright of the Christ Tabernacle Church in the Austin neighborhood.

Rev. Wright and the people at his church had gathered donations and stored them in the church basement, in preparation for a distribution day. Sadly, the donations were stolen before they could be picked up by the people who needed them. The good news? Church of the Rez moved into action and replenished the supply with the items you donated last summer.

I had the privilege of going down to Christ Tabernacle and assist in passing out supplies. This day was a testament to God’s provision and a witness to those whom Christ Tabernacle serves.

If you have questions about the Sanctity of Human Life Task Force, please contact us at sohl@college-church.org.

Opening Hearts with Peaceful Prayer SATURDAY, AUGUST 14 1 - 2 P.M. The Sanctity of Human Life Task Force invites you to pray and sing a few hymns outside Parenthood Aurora in cooperation with 40 Days for Life's year-round prayer effort in Aurora. During a recent prayer time, we supported a faithful sidewalk counselor in prayer as he spoke to five at risk families within thirty minutes! We were excited to see Planned Parenthood clients opening their car windows to talk and receiving pregnancy resource information. www.40daysforlife.com www.40daysforlife.com/aurora Look for us on Waterleaf's property near Planned Parenthood, 3051 E New York St, Aurora, IL 60504 (across from Planned Parenthood's driveway).

Parking is behind Auto Zone or by Mariano's.

Visit www.college-church.org/sohl to sign up for the Sanctity of Human Life task force monthly emails to stay up to date with life related news and events.

9

SIDE BY SIDE

Women’s Bible Study Michelle Kelley

This Fall in Women’s Bible Study “The familiar observation that the Bible is the best-selling book of all time obscures a more startling fact: The Bible is the best-selling book of the year, every year,” noted the New Yorker several years ago. How is it that a book comprised of 66 separate books, written by more than 40 authors, over thousands of years tells a story which still captivates a modern audience? The Bible is not a haphazard collection of stories, but God’s inspired revelation telling one cohesive story— God’s unfolding plan to redeem a people for himself through Christ for his own glory.

The primary actor in this story is God, and through this story, he reveals to the reader his plan from the beginning of time.

Storyline is like the “puzzle top” or the picture on the box of a jigsaw puzzle—a perspective on the whole to understand the parts. When separated, it can be hard to see how each piece fits together, but when pieced together, what emerges is the recognizable image on the box. Our image is pieced together

through a sweeping overview of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation and will culminate in the revelation of Jesus Christ.

The story of God’s redemptive history is not static. God continues to move and build his plan for the world today.

The Storyline of the Bible allows us to step back and see how the Bible fits together into one cohesive story. As we examine major themes of the Bible, we address some big questions: • Who is God and what is his plan?

• Who is Jesus and what role does he play in this story?

• Where do I fit into God’s story?

Our prayer is that God would use this Storyline course to reveal himself and his plan in greater ways to the women of College Church. We hope you will join us this fall. You can register for Women’s Bible Study through the Women’s Ministry page of our website.

SIDE BY SIDE

Church Plant Update Zach Fallon Greetings to you all from South Metro Atlanta. The Fallon family has officially moved, unloaded the moving trucks and has begun the new chapter of God's call on our lives. We thank you for your interest and partnership in seeing this new gospel work get off the ground and begin impacting lives for eternity.

Ministry Update The first two Sundays in July, Zach had the opportunity to preach at Faith Bible Church in Sharpsburg, GA, and he is grateful for Faith Bible Church’s willingness to serve as a local helping church in seeing this new work started. More details to come in the weeks and months ahead!

In August, Zach began church planting training with the SEND Atlanta Network. He, along with five to six other church

10

planters in the Atlanta area, will participate in these training meetings twice a month for eight to nine months. Pray that these training sessions would be insightful and encouraging times.

Lord willing, the church plant’s first ministry opportunity will kick off on Sunday, September 12. The plan is to host interest meetings on Sunday evenings for 10-12 weeks for those who want to learn more about the message of the gospel, what it means for the gospel to make progress and what their role in it all can be.

"For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." (1 Cor. 3:11)

I BELIEVE

New Words, New Life Frederick W. Miller

Writing my life story is reasonably simple. I’m a journalist and write “the facts.” But writing about my spiritual journey and pinpointing dates or places or events is much more difficult.

I don’t think I was paying attention during those times; at least they didn’t make a big, long-lasting impression on me.

The “church words” of today—evangelical, saved, born-again, Christian, come to Christ, take Christ as your Savior—were not part of my vocabulary when I was growing up, in the late 1930s and through the 1940s. We were a “church family” of mother, father and three sons, of which I was the middle one. We went to church and Sunday school each week at First Baptist Church in Royal Oak, Michigan. We did not work on Sundays.

At about age 13, as was somewhat traditional in our church, I attended a baptism class, and on an Easter morning, was baptized by emersion, as were my older brother John and my good friend Ralph Chambers. I remember suggesting to Ralph, that we buy a small gold cross and wear it to indicate to other people that we had been baptized.

I don’t think I really understood the meaning of baptism then, but my words to Ralph seem to indicate that I had undergone a “change” and wanted others to know about it. (That was 75 years ago. Who knows what I was thinking or feeling?)

We didn’t make such a purchase, but for many years during my working career, I wore an “Xuthus” fish label pin on my suit.

There were opportunities to share my faith because of the pin.

During my high school years, I participated in Sunday evening youth group at a Congregational church – there were not enough young people in my Baptist church to make those Sunday nights attractive to me. Those weekly get-togethers were a growing time in my Christian life. We read Scripture out loud to the group and “taught” others what the words meant.

During the summers, for 17 years starting in 1939, my family owned and lived in a cottage in a Methodist-founded resortcommunity, Epworth Heights, on Lake Michigan. I remember going to Sunday school there one Sunday morning and singing “This is my Father’s world.” It certainly was for me because, upon reflection, I grew physically, spiritually, morally, and mentally during those years. And yet, I was still somewhat of a naive teenager.

At Hillsdale College in Michigan, I met a “farm girl” who was solid in her Christian faith. We sang in the college and church choirs together, took math classes together. And we spent weekends together on her family’s farm during the summer of 1954 when I was working as a reporter on a weekly newspaper near that farm in the Thumb area of Michigan.

She had a great influence in my life over the next 64 years, and now enjoys the pleasures of Heaven, with the words “Well done thou good and faithful servant” ringing in her ears and mine.

(Carol Yvonne Evans Miller went to be with her Lord and Savior on April 12, 2021. We were married on August 18, 1956 and raised three daughters and a son.)

Looking back to remember that Easter when I was baptized, I recall quite vividly another Sunday morning, in about 1968, in the First Baptist Church of Newton, Massachusetts, when I “went forward” at the invitation of the pastor. With tears flowing down my face, and great sobbing, something happened. I don’t know what. But I would say, in retrospect, that my Christian walk has been much different since then.

Carol and I “ministered” together most of our married lives, first as sponsors of church youth groups and high school Sunday school classes, then as participants in a young-marrieds group at church and as teachers of adult Sunday school in several churches. continued on page 15

11

GLOBAL VOICES

Same Kind of Different John Maust

Suddenly our bus pulled off the Pan American Highway and came to a stop. Passengers gasped as a military officer boarded the bus and called for attention.

“La guerrilla has hijacked a semi-trailer,” he said tersely. They’ve parked the truck across the highway and set it on fire. The road is blocked.

“Pero no se preocupen” (don’t worry),” he said, “we’ll soon have the situation under control.” Then he asked us to get off the bus and left.

This was El Salvador in the early 1980s, a place and time of great turmoil, where people frequently “disappeared” or died at the hands of the guerrillas or military. And now, our pleasant drive through the Salvadoran countryside had become a seeming journey into the apocalypse.

We grimly grabbed our things and started moving toward the door—me, the only “gringo” in a bus full of farmers and rural villagers.

As I stepped off the bus, glancing down the highway at the truck engulfed in flames, I noticed a middle-aged farm woman, a campesina, eyeing me closely. Her gaze seemed directed at my hand, which still held the little Spanish New Testament that I’d been reading before this incident began.

I held up the book for her to see, and a look of relief flashed across her face. She pointed at me and the book and then back at herself.

It was obvious that she had identified me as a fellow Christian, and that she found comfort in the fact that there were at least two believers on that bus in the middle of a crisis, as did I.

To me, one of the strongest evidences for the truth of the gospel is the growth of the global church and how God continues calling people to himself from every corner of the earth.

Not about culture or ideology Nearly a third of the world’s almost 8 billion population are Christians. Christianity is the world’s largest religious group, with the fastest growth occurring in the so-called Majority World.

Critics sometimes scoff at this growth as a mere cultural or ideological phenomenon driven by ignorance or selfish motives.

For instance, it is said that people adopt Christianity thinking it will improve their lifestyle, or that they are drawn to Christianity as a “Western religion,” as if becoming a Christian were like switching allegiance to a different sports team.

I vividly remember the deep sense of connection that we felt during that moment, even without speaking a word: two people who could not be more different—a young American journalist and a middle-aged Salvadoran farm woman—and yet bound together as members of the Body of Christ.

And yet, if it were something so superficial, would those Egyptian Christians have refused to renounce their faith and knelt to be killed by ISIS on a Libyan beach, praising Jesus with their dying words? The critics do not realize there is something deeper, something transformational, going on with the worldwide spread of the gospel.

You might say that we were different, but the same kind of different.

New spiritual “hard drive”

If you have met Christians from a completely different culture than your own, then I suspect you have had a similar experience of the spiritual bond between you. I never cease to be amazed by how God unites men, women and children of every nation and culture under the same Lordship of Christ.

12

Christianity is not about ideology, head knowledge or religious practice. It is about men, women and children being radically transformed from the inside out.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation,” Scripture says, “The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (1 Cor 5:17)

Christians who may be outwardly different in language, dress, culture, background and other ways are exactly alike in the way that matters most. Each has a personal relationship with Christ and his indwelling Holy Spirit.

“For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit,” says 1 Corinthians 12:13.

No wonder we sense a powerful connection with believers in Christ throughout the world; we have the same Holy Spirit, the same new spiritual hard drive, as it were. We are united as one flock under one Shepherd, and we hear his voice ( John 10:16).

What a beautiful diversity in the global body of Christ, each part enriching the other. And God is calling us to help expand his family, sharing the good news and making disciples of all nations.

On the road again I’m glad to say the crisis on the Pan American Highway ended happily. The soldiers did get the situation under control as the officer promised. They removed the burning truck and reopened traffic. And our bus safely reached its destination.

I did not see the Salvadoran woman again, but our brief encounter gave a hint of the global family we will have in heaven: “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands (Rev. 7:9, ESV).

VOICES OF THE GLOBAL CHURCH The richness of God’s global family will be on full display at LittWorld 2022, the global Christian publishing conference organized by Media Associates International (MAI).

“I see LittWorld like a big family Christmas dinner with family members attending from different places,” said Nigerian author and publisher Pusonnam Yiri. “I have met people from different countries who are now my friends.”

Please pray for the continuing preparations for the April 2429 conference in Hungary, with an expected 200 Christian publishing staff and writers from 40-plus countries.

Many will have worked for months in relative isolation due to the pandemic, so the conference will provide a much-anticipated return to in-person interaction between Christian publishing peers from around the world.

More than 40 international publishing professionals will lead plenary sessions, small group workshops, devotionals and one-on-one consultations, with noted author Philip Yancey as keynote speaker. Participants will gain fresh vision, skills and networks for more effective publishing ministry to readers in their respective nations.

Men and women from 94 countries have participated in LittWorld since the conference began in 1986, including a number of College Church members who have served as trainers or volunteers.

Through LittWorld, we have seen publishing houses born, new books, magazines and podcasts conceived and participants inspired to excel and persevere in ministry for the Lord to their readers.

Pray for similar outcomes once again in 2022 for the growth and strengthening of the global Church and that that Christ will be glorified.

“I was truly inspired to sit in a room with 52 nationalities all worshiping together,” said an Australian attendee at the last LittWorld. “In a cultural climate that seeks to separate us into identity groups, the myriad of faces from across the globe made it very clear for me that there is only one answer to division—Christ.”

13

LOCALLY SOURCED

Campus Ministries Changes: Covid-19 and Beyond Nate and Laura (and baby Asher) Amodio bring us up to date with their ministry with InterVarsity.

This first question is a bit broad, but what were some of the effects of the pandemic on InterVarsity (IV) and its campus ministry? How did IV cope with all the shutdowns and students being sent home?

The abruptness of the shutdowns was jarring. Seniors had a particularly tough end to their time in college; there was a lack of closure, grief, no in-person good-byes. As widely recognized, the limited social interactions and a lack of community from the pandemic have led to a decline in the mental and physical health of Gen Zers and college students across the country.

InterVarsity staff had to adapt quickly to each campus and its unique restrictions and timeline. A lot of collaboration and resource-building took place in figuring out how to make Zoom gatherings hospitable, lifegiving and spiritually stimulating. Also, IV’s national department put together resources and events for students (such as weekly, high quality live-streamed events).

In addition to the students, IV made sure its staff was cared for with “distress days,” which were no questions asked days off to help navigate anything from childcare responsibilities to health concerns, racial trauma and so on. Staff was also provided personal retreat guides, Paraclete Groups and other spiritual resources.

There were also some highlights as we did ministry during the pandemic. We met interested students at 33 unreached campuses (just in Indiana and Illinois) this year thanks to digital ministry. A staff planting at Chicago State had a 15-member Bible study over Zoom that started solely through direct messages over Instagram. At Indiana University, a student from Hong Kong, spent his first semester taking online classes while still in Hong Kong. Every Tuesday, he’d wake up for a 7 a.m. Zoom Bible study with the InterVarsity students. Now on campus, he already has a community of believers. A chapter for students with disabilities that had been meeting at College of DuPage blossomed into a nationwide movement as these students gathered online and reached new students through social media.

It’s good to know that the shutdown didn’t shut down IV’s ministry. But the two of you have moved into new roles with IV. What are they?

We both now work for the Indiana and Illinois region of InterVarsity. Nate is starting his third year as ministry

14

partnership development coach, mentoring and coaching staff during their fundraising process. Laura is a field operations director, working to improve the systems and events that support regional staff and students. She is in her second year in this role.

IV often uses the term “formation.” Can you describe it for us, and what does it encompass for new staff?

First, new staff attend formation classes led by senior leaders in our region their first two years on staff. The hope is to help staff thrive in their relationship with God and others as well as develop professionally. The modules covered in Formation classes are: Character and Calling, Relational Adeptness, Chapter Building, Cross-Cultural Ministry and Evangelism.

Describe IV’s commitment to staff training. Why is this crucial to campus ministry?

Working in campus ministry, while exciting and impactful, can also be tiring and difficult. InterVarsity wants to develop staff who can invest in campus ministry for the long haul, so they put a lot of energy into staff development through formal training and cohorts as well as less formal collaboration and mentorship.

We want staff to grow holistically as disciples of Jesus, not just in raw ministry skills.

What’s the best thing about training new and returning staff? What are some of the challenges?

Our staff come from and minister to all sorts of backgrounds.

We have staff who became Christians during college, staff from rural backgrounds, staff born in other countries, staff of various ethnic backgrounds, Boomer/Gen X/Millennial/Gen Z, etc. And some of these staff members are ministering in specific contexts such as commuter schools, international students, Greek students (fraternities and sororities) and so on.

schedules work so we can both continue to work with IV as much as we desire. With both of us working from home, the transition to parenthood has been much easier and life-giving.

It’s quite special to take a short break after a video call and get to hold a smiling baby (and sometimes a not-so-smiley-ratherstinky-baby).

Perhaps the best thing for us, is how invigorating it is to be in a room with ministers from diverse backgrounds. Even the food and snacks we share allow us to enter each other’s “homes” and cultures.

Finally, how can College Church pray for you?

And that’s also the challenge: training such a diverse room of staff means conflict is inevitable! Different teaching styles are needed, on-stage representation matters, lots of prayer and listening to the Holy Spirit’s guidance is crucial.

What do you miss about working directly with students?

The teachability and openness of students. Something about us grown adults tends to become so stubborn and slow to change.

But students are flexible, open and eager to learn and implement new things. We miss directly discipling and developing student leaders. It was a unique, fun challenge to work with students’ giftings and broken pieces and help them become missional leaders who advance God’s kingdom in their spheres of influences.

As things are open in Illinois and Indiana, how will campus ministry look post-pandemic?

The pandemic accelerated some of the learning and adapting we were already doing as a region as we think about contextualizing the gospel to the current generation of students. We had to try new things quickly and with lots of agility and adaptability. We hope the creativity, flexibility and collaboration throughout the movement will continue. Also, many of our campuses will continue to improve our online presence while re-gathering in-person.

Even before the pandemic, New Student Outreach (NSO) was changing. When students gave us contact info, we would often knock on their doors to invite them. That has become far less effective and nearly obsolete. Trust needs to be built virtually first before they will come to in-person meetings. Instagram outreach is the new normal. We also think that students will feel a strong need for community. We also predict they will feel the brokenness around them more deeply, which will be a great onramp to the gospel of God’s kingdom coming!

Ministry and parenthood—how is that going for you?

Overall, so far so good. We were blessed with a month of paternity leave and three months of maternity leave, which really helped us settle in and feel ready to get back to work. IV has been super flexible in allowing us to adapt and make our

• Pray for IV staff to thrive spiritually, so there are less barriers to students encountering Jesus.

• Pray for us to rest, balance our responsibilities well and have life-giving relationships at church.

• Our budget has increased due to increased job responsibilities and needing family insurance with the baby. We would love for people to become prayer and financial partners. If you would like to be on our prayer letter list, email Nate at nate.amodio@intervarsity.org to give towards God’s work in college students throughout Indiana and Illinois.

Thanks for updating us, and we would love to meet Baby Asher.

New Words, New Life — Frederick W. Miller (continued from page 11) But our most rewarding ministry was as Bible teachers for more than 25 years in the DuPage County Jail (through JUST of DuPage) and in about 10 state prisons in Illinois (through Prison Fellowship) correcting prison inmate Bible study lessons weekly through Crossroads Prison Ministries of Grand Rapids, Michigan. All this work required a study and understanding of the Bible and lesson preparation, thus equipping me for so-called “front line” ministry and being “not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.”

(Romans 1:16) You cannot teach that message of salvation unless you believe that message, although at times I do a poor job of teaching it or of being a good representative of the transforming power of God in an individual’s life.

But as a minister and Moody professor friend of mine has said, “I am a saint who occasionally sins,” not necessarily “a sinner saved by grace,” although that fits too.

My life now is far different from my life as an early teenager, where this journey started. I may not always exemplify my Christian faith in all that I do, but I am well aware of what the Christian life is all about and how I am supposed to live it day by day to demonstrate that changed life and changed lifestyle. With God’s help, I can do that. “God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good!”

15

NEW MEMBERS

Elizabeth Altergott

Ryan & Jacki Berg

Janet Blomberg

PLACES LIVED: Grew up in Schaumburg

PLACES LIVED: Ryan grew up in Wheaton and has attended College Church all his life. Jackie grew up in Indiana with her parents and younger brother before attending Wheaton College.

PLACES LIVED: Grew up in the Chicago area and attended Wheaton College. Has lived in Saudi Arabia, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

FAMILY: Single mom to Maverick (involved in STARS) and Mackenzie (involved in Kids’ Harbor).

9 TO 5: Busy raising her children PASTTIMES: Volunteers with DuPage County PADS and serves on local boards. Volunteers at her daughter’s school.

FAMILY: Ryan and Jacki are newlyweds!

Ryan is the middle son of Mark and Cheryce Berg and a grandson of Stann and Gloria Leff.

9 TO 5: Ryan works in the bond industry in Chicago. He also was a custodian at College Church, swim instructor, dogsitter, lawn mower and shoe shiner. Jacki is a recent graduate of Wheaton College and joined the staff of College Church as a ministry associate in missions as well as KMs. PASTTIMES: They enjoy walks, ice skating, being out on the water, and travel. Besides spending time together, Jacki’s favorite place is Charlevoix, Michigan, doing any kind of outdoor activity on or near the water.

CHURCH INVOLVEMENT: HYACKs, College Group.

16

9 TO 5: Cares for her mother, who is now widowed. She also provides weekly respite care for a STARS family, helps provide care and support for College Church missionaries.

PASTTIMES: Enjoys word games, music and travel, and is a lifelong Cubs fan.

CHURCH INVOLVEMENT: STARS and missions.

Shaun and Beate Carlson

Kevin Cox

Hannah Flanigan

PLACES LIVED: Shaun grew up in Illinois. Beate grew up in Germany.

FAMILY: Kevin is currently involved at First Baptist Church of Atibaia in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where he serves as a College Church mid-term missionary.

He is part of our Missionary Preparation Program and is an associate member with College Church. He grew up in Brazil and traveled to the U.S. when his parents would come here on furlough.

He attended Liberty University in Virginia.

PLACES LIVED: Grew up in southern Maine with two younger sisters and her parents.

FAMILY: Shaun and Beate met while he was in Germany visiting a friend. They married and have lived in the States for most of their married life. They have four young girls. Beate’s parents and two siblings still live in Germany.

9 TO 5: Shaun is the VP/BGM of a hygienic equipment manufacturing business, which has been instrumental in supplying equipment used in the manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccines.

Beate is a homemaker, and previously worked as an accountant.

PASTTIMES: Shaun enjoys playing sports, teaching at church in Kids’ Harbor and coaching their kids’ sports.

Beate likes to be active outside and enjoys baking and photography.

FAMILY: Kevin is a son of College Church missionaries Steve and Mirian Cox, who serve with Word of Life in Brazil.

9 TO 5: Kevin works as a camp coordinator and maintenance coordinator.

PASTTIMES: Enjoys playing board games, reading, sports and projects.

FAMILY: Hannah is the granddaughter of Ken and Better Flanigan, the greatgreat niece of the late Ruth Muzzy and the great niece of both Sue Teiwes and Kerry and Carol Pfund.

9 TO 5: Hannah just graduated from Wheaton College. She is currently teaching private violin lessons and growing a small studio here in Wheaton.

PASTTIMES: Enjoys good conversations, spending time with others, running, being outdoors and spending time with family.

CHURCH INVOLVEMENT: Plays violin in services, College Group and HYACKs.

CHURCH INVOLVEMENT: Kids’ Harbor, Women’s Bible Study

17

NEW MEMBERS (Continued)

Phil & Maggie Girgis

Lenny & Amy Johncola

Fred Miller

PLACES LIVED: Phil was born in Cairo, Egypt, and his family moved to the States when he was seven years old. Phil and Maggie live in Western Springs.

PLACES LIVED: Amy grew up in the Chicago area.

PLACES LIVED: Fred grew up in Royal Oak, Michigan.

FAMILY: They traveled to Russia to adopt their daughter, Anya, when she was two and a half years old.

FAMILY: Fred lost his lovely wife, Carol, earlier this year after 65 years of marriage.

9 TO 5: Lenny is a fire alarm technician.

Amy has been a physical therapist in public schools for 29 years.

9 TO 5: Fred had a career in journalism.

For more than 25 years, Fred and his wife taught Christian seminars in prisons throughout Illinois and taught Bible studies on Sunday nights in the DuPage County Jail. Fred wrote, edited and published a Christian newsletter that was mailed to about 900 prison inmates.

FAMILY: They have five young adult children and are in the process of adopting 12-year-old twins.

9 TO 5: Phil is a dentist in LaGrange, and Maggie is busy with kids and grandbabies.

PASTTIMES: Phil enjoys traveling, boating and following the Chicago Cubs.

Maggie stays busy but always enjoys quite time with a good book.

CHURCH INVOLVEMENT: Small group and hospitality where needed.

Sunday Evening Worship

is back WITH A NEW 5 P.M. START TIME! Evening Service Kickoff—August 29 will be the first community celebration in the Sanctuary. After a break for Labor Day weekend, the monthly schedule will include a community celebration on the first Sunday night of every month, with the other Sunday nights taking place in Commons Hall.

18

PASTTIMES: Amy enjoys reading, traveling, gardening, taking walks and good conversations.

CHURCH INVOLVEMENT: Women’s Bible Study, STARS.

CHURCH INVOLVEMENT: Men’s ministries.

College Church Fellowship Meals Friday night supper on August 27 or Saturday morning brunch on August 28

As we regather as a church and as a community, we are excited to continue our Fellowship Meals. These meals are friendly and informal ways to meet one another. Come and enjoy a delicious potluck meal and a sweet time of fellowship together. This isn’t a gourmet supper club, but an opportunity to meet new people or deepen existing relationships in the College Church family. All welcome.

We need both hosts and guests—especially hosts—willing to open their homes (or backyards, patios, nearby parks).

Choose a Friday evening supper (for adults only) or a family brunch on Saturday (for families/all ages). These gatherings are for good food, good conversation and ideal opportunities to meet more people in our church family.

If you have questions, please contact Meagan Godoy at (630) 200-8378 / meagan.godoy@gmail.com Sign up by August 10 to be a part of these church potluck meals.

Visit: college-church.formstack.com/forms/fellowship_meal_signup

Gather for coffee and dessert to learn about Jesus. We’ll get to know one another, watch a short video and have a discussion based on the Bible. This gathering is for people interested in exploring faith in a noncombative way, or for newer Christians who would like to grow in their understanding. Groups will be starting in September 2021.

For more information on upcoming groups or to register, email outreach@college-church.org.

19

FACE TO FACE

The Problem of Eternity Wil Triggs

Summer is the memory-making season. Most often I think of our summer camp experiences and people in Russia. But sometimes, the memories reach back to my Uncle Silas.

I didn’t grow up knowing Uncle Si. Not like my other aunts and uncles, on my mom’s side, who lived nearby, and I saw all the time. He and Aunt Alberta first came into my life as a rest stop on the summer road trip we took from southern California to Connecticut to visit my sister and her Yankee husband. We didn’t have a lot of money, but over the course of the year, the family saved money so we could make the trip. Prior to the journey, my brother, who was 22 when I was born, would plan our itinerary and find places where we could stay along the way.

This is how I discovered family I never knew I had—cousins, aunts/uncles who lived in various parts of the country. After our first visit to Alberta and Si, their home in Wyoming became a place we had to stop on every trip one way or the other.

We would stay up late talking with the two of them and then wake up early for a day trip to someplace I’d never been before.

The first time we stopped at their home, I woke the next day to the smell of bacon cooking. Thick cut. Maple. Uncle Si was cooking so his wife could talk to her brother (my dad). We went to the Grand Tetons or Yellowstone or both, as well as journeys into the reservation to watch part of an all-night tribal dance.

Then they retired and moved to northern California, where I got to know them even better. Uncle Si grew berries and grapes and all kinds of vegetables. I learned about jam-making and canning for the first time from him. And their pantry was filled with jars of sweet goodness from their yard.

I grew to love them. The days we spent with them were magical.

I would soak everything in that they showed me and they enjoyed having me around. Every visit with them fed my heart, and it was always hard to say goodbye. It seemed at the time that heaven might be a little like those days of wonder and discovery.

Uncle Si spent his career in education, and there was almost no topic about which he didn’t know interesting things.

But there was one thing we almost never talked about— God. Nevertheless, God was not far off.

Back then there were only two ways that we communicated important news: either by phone or by letter. There was no Facetime, no email or social media, nothing immediate like that.

20

The only thing a wristwatch told us was the time of day if you remembered to wind it.

So, when a letter came from Aunt Alberta, we knew it was important.

Uncle Si had a disease for which there was treatment, but no cure. It was going to kill him. Today’s treatments were not available back then, so just a few months were left, the doctor predicted.

They didn’t want us to come. Their daughter, my cousin, would help them if needed. They asked for positive thoughts.

This positive thought thing was a problem for me. By then, I was following Jesus and my positive thoughts would surely not be enough. Even if something positive happened in relation to the disease, there was the problem of eternity.

Why had we never talked about eternal things? As far as I could tell, my aunt and uncle belonged to a fraternal lodge for social connections, but no church. One of their sons had died when he was in his twenties. I think it may have been a hunting accident.

I overheard my mother and my aunt talking about how Uncle Si was never the same after that. He seemed pretty great to me, but had that possibly shaped him to turn away from eternal things?

I had no idea. I was the kid. If they did talk about God, it wasn’t in front of me. Now, it was almost too late.

So, I did what people did back then when they had something important to say. I wrote Uncle Si a letter. I didn’t keep a copy, but here’s what I remember trying to say to him.

I wanted to say how much I loved him, how he and Aunt Alberta had given me some of the happiest days of my life. I said thank you. The thought of not seeing him again was hard and sad. But that I believed in both heaven and hell. There was a way that we could see each other again in heaven—but that was only possible through Jesus. I wrote them the good news of Jesus and that there was a way to heaven, but also an alternative that none of us wanted.

Like I said, I didn’t keep a copy, and I’m sure there would be a lot to critique in that letter. We share imperfectly, but I couldn’t help it. I desperately wanted Uncle Si in heaven with Jesus.

I prayed like crazy for Uncle Si.

What happened?

I still wonder. My aunt told my mother to thank me and to let me know that she read every word of my letter to Uncle Si and that it meant a lot. Someday I’ll find out.

Meanwhile, I don’t want to push God to the back of conversations with the people around me. Lately I’ve been reading tracts, not so much to hand them out as to see how in just a few words people express faith in God. We’re adding more of them to the bookstall when it reopens in August. Pick up one or two to read. How do we speak the good news to people around us? There are as many ways as people—each of us in our own way, adapting to the person, our friend, colleague, uncle, whoever.

While many are reading or writing academic articles, I’m happily reading these tracts. One of my favorite tract writers

is Roger Carswell. In one of the tracts he asks, “For you, what would be the best news? To win the lottery? To be given a clean bill of health? To find the perfect partner? To be able to start all over again? To be forgiven for all that is past? “…The good news reminds us that even the enemy, death, has been thoroughly beaten by Jesus who not only died and was buried, but rose again three days later. As the Bible says, ‘Christ is risen from the dead.’”

Speaking the good news is not a thing to put off for another day.

Prayer plus words and more prayer seems the way to go. It’s hard. It’s scary. We won’t always do it right. But let’s not hide Jesus under a bushel. The light of the world deserves to shine in big and little ways wherever we go.

MILESTONES Marriages

Deaths

• College Church members Ryan Berg and Jacki Halderman were married on Saturday, July 17, in Lake Charlevoix, Michigan. Ryan is the son of members Mark and Cheryce Berg, and the maternal grandson of Stann and Gloria Leff.

• Pray for Lisa (Howard) Kern and family as they grieve the loss of Lisa’s mother, Marlene Vittitow, who passed away on July 16.

• College Church members Addie Teevans and Tate Fritz were married here on Friday, July 2. Tate is son of Kurt and Kristi Fritz, also College Church members.

• College Church members Lindsey Befus and Daniel Conroy were married here on Saturday, July 10. Lindsey is daughter of College Church missionaries Matt and Lisa Befus.

Births • Judah Christopher McLeod Smith was born to Ian and Hannah Smith on July 11. Judah joins his big brothers Ian and Ezra. His paternal grandparents are Ian and Laurie Smith.

• Pray for the family of Lillian Daniel who passed away on July 13.

• Pray for Rich Wilson and family as they grieve the loss of Rich’s sister, Judith Adams, who passed away on July 12 in Orland Park.

• Pray for Roger McDonald, Laurie (Howard) Costley and Kayla Costley as they grieve the loss of Roger's wife, Laurie’s mother and Kayla’s grandmother, Ruth McDonald, who passed away on July 5.

• Pray for the family of Betty Faircloth who passed away on January 11. Services were held.

• Savannah Joy Unruh was born to Will and Rebecca Unruh on July 5 in Colorado Springs, CO. Savannah joins her big brother Rhett and her maternal grandparents are Gary and Valerie Chase.

21

LOOKING AHEAD SEPTEMBER MINISTRY PREVIEW

ADULT COMMUNITIES

MEMBERSHIP CLASS

In person with Zoom options for some classes starting Sunday September 12

Sundays, October 3, 10, 17, 24 at 9:30 a.m.

• All Nations • Veritas • Logos • Joint Heirs • Greek Class • Forum 15

MEN’S BIBLE STUDY

CHILDREN’S MINISTRIES SEPTEMBER START-UPS • God's Children Sing and children’s choirs start September 12

SMALL GROUP FOCUS Sunday spotlight—TBD

STARS All dates tentative • Sunday classes start September 12

• Wednesday club programs start September 15

• STARS Kickoff September 10 or 17

CHOIR REHEARSAL

• Praise in Action September 15

Starts September 2, 7:30-8:30 p.m.

• Choir September 19

CHRISTIANITY EXPLORED —NEW

VISITOR LUNCH

Discover what our faith is all about on Thursdays— September 9, 16, 23, 30, October 7, 14, 21 In the Commons, also available via Zoom

September 12 at noon

GRACE GROUPS

• Bible Study— starts September 15 morning and evening. Advance registration required.

Start September 13 at 7 p.m.

GRIEFSHARE TBD—September 13 or 14 at 7 p.m.

22

Starts September 15 at 6:45-8:00 p.m.

• Friday Night Fun October 8

WOMEN’S MINISTRY

• Mom2Mom—October 4 (large group gathering) • Monthly Gathering for women: October 9

LOOKING AHEAD NEW SERMON SERIES

SPIRITUAL WARFARE There is a sense of heightened conflict in society today, between how our tax dollars are used, how our schools are run, COVID, generational differences, and worldview divergences. But have we lost sight of the ultimate conflict, and more importantly our resources for victory in it? At College Church, we will be looking at the Bible’s teaching about the ultimate conflict in which we are involved: our Spiritual Warfare.

With confusion among Christians and lack of clarity about what the Bible teaches about Spiritual Warfare, we will be looking at how the Book of Ephesians teaches us to be “strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might” and to “put on the whole armor of God,” and so be victorious. Join us for this new series starting on August 22. You will find that many Christians, as well as those on the fringes of church life, will be interested in what the Bible has to say about Spiritual Warfare and are looking for a new sense of victory in their lives.

We will be producing invitation postcards so that we can invite our friends and neighbors for the start of the series.

We will have specific titles for each of the weeks—the “Shield of Faith,” “the Sword of the Spirit,” etc.—so that you can know what is coming up and be able to invite friends for specific Sundays, too, and their specific message.

Our prayer is that God will use the sermon series to glorify his name, edify his people, and proclaim the gospel to the world around in these days!

C OM M U N ION AUG U S T 1

Visit Pastor Josh’s Bible-teaching ministry at godcenteredlife.org. You can have daily devotionals delivered right to your inbox. There is also a daily teaching program streamed online, through podcasts and at over 50 radio stations nationally. You can listen locally on Moody Radio (WMBI) at 10 p.m. M-F and 7:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Your prayers and partnership with this ministry are greatly appreciated.

23