VBS for this year:
|
|
SUNDAY MORNING from the pastor January 26, 2003 I had an interesting conversation with Roger Ross a couple days ago. Roger is the lead pastor at New Horizon United Methodist Church, just outside Champaign on Bloomington Road. He was sharing the story of his church with me, a church that averages around 500 on a Sunday morning. It began in the summer of 1994 when Roger was sent here by the bishop to begin a new church. He had no church members, no church, and no property. It was just him and his wife. The conference provided him with a salary and a house. Roger was 34 then, and he had a passion for reaching others his age, namely those in the 20-40 age group. When he looked at the existing United Methodist Churches in Champaign-Urbana, there were very few active members that age. As he talked to people in the existing churches, he found that many members had CHILDREN who were in the 20-40 age group, but that most of those children had dropped out or drifted away from church. The existing churches were rather ineffective in relating to that generation. As he explained his passion for people in that age group, and as he shared his vision for a new church--one that would be designed to reach unchurched young adults and families--people began to give him names to contact. He developed a prospect list and went to work. That first summer, he held 3 informational meetings in his own living room. His job was to shape and share the vision of the new church. By early fall, he had enough interest to form 3 small groups that would meet weekly. When someone expressed a willingness to be a part of his new church, he asked two things: be involved in a small group and pray. He expected each member to be involved in significantly in relationships and service. By mid fall, he began a monthly "large meeting." It took place in a room rented for the evening, and it consisted in everyone getting together for a worship experience. He had 30-50 people come at first. He also appointed a leadership team for the new church that fall. By March of 1995 (10 months after he arrived in town) they rented the cafeteria at Centennial High School and formally launched their new church with their first weekly worship service--all contemporary and all high tech. They had more than 400 come the first week. By summer the merely curious had drifted away, and the church was lucky to have 100 in worship. But once they settled down, they began to grow again. They rented space for several years until they got enough money to put a down payment on a building. Their first building was ready to use a year and a half ago. They now have 3 worship services and average 500 a Sunday. I came away from my conversation with Roger with enthusiasm for our own mission here in East Urbana. While we are not called by God to duplicate the efforts of another congregation, we are blessed with the opportunity to witness the story and reflect on some perennial truths: when we have a passionate love for people who are alienated from God, when we have a graphic vision of hospitality and involvement with them, when we have trustworthy leaders, and when we have a testimony of how our own lives have been radically changed by the gospel--then we will be amazed at what God can do through US. --Mike |
