I am so thankful for family and friends. My church family is such a great blessing in my life. This past weekend I flew home in the middle of vacation to perform a funeral for a friend, Robyn White. I am now back in Florida (and it is a cloudy morning), but I am thinking about all the people who helped out this weekend. The New Community family stepped up in very incredible ways to care for the White's and I appreciate all of them so much. I could never thank each of you individually, but please know what this meant to Randy and his family. New Community Christian Church understands what it means to be a church family. The concern, the food, the kind words, the food, the support, and did I mention - the food.
In case no one knew it - I LOVE THIS CHURCH! I know I need vacation time, but I miss being with all of you each week. You are my family and I could not ask for any better family members. See you all soon. Kevin
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Reconciliation
I love this theme and it is what we are talking about on Sunday. Two things I want you to do in advance of Sunday. Grab a Bible and read through the story of Jacob and Esau. This is some strong stuff! It is real life and there are some great lessons for us. Genesis 25:19-34; 27-28 and 32-33. Several chapters, but this will give you a heads-up on our discussion on Sunday.
The other thing may be a bit more difficult. Who is it that you need to be reconciled to? When we talk about holding a grudge and hurt feelings and being mistreated, who comes to your mind? I want you to be praying that God speaks clearly to you about that person and your relationship. With God's help I believe that Sunday can be a day of great reconciliation and healing. Will you do your part and prepare yourself for this special day? I am praying for you.
See you Sunday. I love every one of you. Pastor Kevin
The other thing may be a bit more difficult. Who is it that you need to be reconciled to? When we talk about holding a grudge and hurt feelings and being mistreated, who comes to your mind? I want you to be praying that God speaks clearly to you about that person and your relationship. With God's help I believe that Sunday can be a day of great reconciliation and healing. Will you do your part and prepare yourself for this special day? I am praying for you.
See you Sunday. I love every one of you. Pastor Kevin
Thursday, May 22, 2008
I don't want to be Eeyore!
You know what I mean. I hate when I get to feeling a little down and then I begin to feel sorry for myself and the pity party is not far behind. I hate that. But I do that occasionally. I guess it is part of the cycle I go through. I have been a little down the last couple of days - nothing major (don't call the hospital or anything). But I was sitting here kind of moping and working on my sermon for Sunday (that should be an uplifting one, huh?!?) and I heard about the death of one of Steven Curtis Chapman's children. Talk about a slap from God.
I have so much to be thankful for. An incredible family who stands by me through some pretty tough crap that gets thrown at us. A wife who puts up with more than anyone ever should (and she looks cute all the time). Two great sons - I cannot believe they are in their mid 20's. And God has blessed us with so much. Cory is engaged to be married to the woman God chose for Him a long time ago when Cory was only a baby and Cindy began praying that God would bring the right girl into his life. And now we have this great future daughter, Suzanne Provance. We never had a girl and that sounds like fun. September 6 they will be married.
Cory and Suzanne are really growing closer to each other but also closer to God. They are involved at Eastview Christian in Bloomington, IL and are right now in Romania on a mission trip with 124 other young adults. It is so cool to see them grow up and give back. Also, Cory found out while in Romania that he has a new gig - full-time 4th grade teacher in Gibson City, IL beginning this Fall. It is so cool when God shows us His plan. You go, God.
Yes, I am a blessed man - no doubt about it. I will stop complaining now. If you see me and I look a little down, give me a hug, tell me you love me and then kick me in the butt. I may just need that!
I have so much to be thankful for. An incredible family who stands by me through some pretty tough crap that gets thrown at us. A wife who puts up with more than anyone ever should (and she looks cute all the time). Two great sons - I cannot believe they are in their mid 20's. And God has blessed us with so much. Cory is engaged to be married to the woman God chose for Him a long time ago when Cory was only a baby and Cindy began praying that God would bring the right girl into his life. And now we have this great future daughter, Suzanne Provance. We never had a girl and that sounds like fun. September 6 they will be married.
Cory and Suzanne are really growing closer to each other but also closer to God. They are involved at Eastview Christian in Bloomington, IL and are right now in Romania on a mission trip with 124 other young adults. It is so cool to see them grow up and give back. Also, Cory found out while in Romania that he has a new gig - full-time 4th grade teacher in Gibson City, IL beginning this Fall. It is so cool when God shows us His plan. You go, God.
Yes, I am a blessed man - no doubt about it. I will stop complaining now. If you see me and I look a little down, give me a hug, tell me you love me and then kick me in the butt. I may just need that!
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Donkey?
It has been three weeks since we moved into our new church home and we still have bugs to work out. But God really blessed us in that whole process. Only one mishap. It is pictured here. We walked into the building and found my friend Brett hanging through the ceiling from the attic into the Fellowship Room. Left a pretty big hole (in the ceiling and in Brett's pride). His family was so supportive of him - they called everyone they knew and could not stop laughing. Brett did lots of work around the building and got the ceiling put back together. God knew we needed a little laugh at the end of this huge undertaking. God is so great and so good to us.
Friday, April 18, 2008
"705" Day 1 Aftermath
Seems like only yesterday things looked like they'd never change...
and now you're faced with incredible new beginnings.
Life's turnarounds can be extraordinary.
You may never completely forget the past,
but it's nice to look back on it from the comfort of a new today.
I received these words in a card from a friend this week. She knows some of the details of the Yandell and New Community stories. This card really speaks to the things going on in my heart this week. We moved through some very painful stuff way back in the late 90's and early 00's, and we will never be able to erase those memories. But last Sunday goes a long way toward easing the relational aches and pains we faced. NC3 at "705" is a definite high in my life right now.
I am surrounded by a group of crazy, loving, caring, concerned, spiritually-seeking, motivated, encouraging (and did I say crazy?) Christ-followers and that makes every day an adventure and a new beginning. I love the thought that our God is a God of New Beginnings. Every day we get to start over. Every day New Community gets the opportunity to introduce someone to Jesus. Can it ever get any better than that? I am so ready for Week 2!!! See you Sunday.
Monday, April 14, 2008
"705" Day 1
We made it through Day 1 at 705 E. Washington Street. And we didn't just make it through the day, we soared through it. Everyone was prepared and there was very little last minute frenzy. People began arriving early and we had a big first-hour crowd. We had a good amount of time between services (so people could leave and give parking spots to others), and then things began to really pop. We packed the place and even had a small crowd in the balcony for second hour. Overall, counting all the kids in the building, 394 people experienced Day 1. And there were many guests with us for their first time.
Thanks to the tremendous group of people who volunteered over the past month (closing was on March 7) to transform an old building into a usable space for our community. Huge thanks to the Creative Arts team for all their work getting the technical details worked out. Our children and youth departments were tremendous at handling one of our largest groups of kids ever. Coffee and snacks were a great touch to the day. Everyone was friendly and greeted our guests enthusiastically. It was amazing to see the culmination of so many people working together to bring us to the point where we could open our doors and invite people in.
As I said on Sunday, it felt like "HOME" - a comfortable place where we can greet our guests. Were there glitches? Of course there were. But everyone was flexible enough to move beyond those things. I heard no complaints about the parking situation. The traffic bottleneck between the buildings will be an issue for us, but we made it work yesterday. My favorite moment was after I began talking first hour and all the power went out. We had already shown two videos that worked perfectly (and we could actually see them on the new screen) and I was able to continue speaking while the problem was taken care of. It was one of those moments when you know that God is in complete control of everything that happens.
So, we had an exciting, fulfilling first day. Now what? Sit back and be comfortable for a while? Don't even think about it. It is very obvious after yesterday that we will not be able to grow indefinitley here at 705 without making some adjustments. We still have plans to relocate our facility to our land at Route 47 and Minooka Rd. in the future. And this facility may very well continue to serve us as an outreach center or additional worship site. This building is a tool that has been loaned to us by God. He is watching to see how we will use this tool to reach more people. Building bridges to connect people with Jesus. That's our mission, and "705" will allow us to continue that mission.
What's next? We still have some projects to complete. A people lift will be installed soon to move wheelchairs, etc. from the Fellowship area to the Worship area. We also want to install a new ramp outside of the Fellowship area (dependent on finances). Later we need to rplace the roof on the entire building, landscaping is being planned and there are several small projects to be done. We now need to focus on how to make use of "705" to reach and engage our community. Please be in prayer for your leadership team as they pray and seek God's direction in these issues. We also would love your input on ideas for reaching people here at the new facility.
I know that God has made this possible. I appreciate all the work that has been done, but this thing at "705" is truly a God-thing. With God all things are possible. And I am dreaming about the possibilities. I love this church!!!
Thanks to the tremendous group of people who volunteered over the past month (closing was on March 7) to transform an old building into a usable space for our community. Huge thanks to the Creative Arts team for all their work getting the technical details worked out. Our children and youth departments were tremendous at handling one of our largest groups of kids ever. Coffee and snacks were a great touch to the day. Everyone was friendly and greeted our guests enthusiastically. It was amazing to see the culmination of so many people working together to bring us to the point where we could open our doors and invite people in.
As I said on Sunday, it felt like "HOME" - a comfortable place where we can greet our guests. Were there glitches? Of course there were. But everyone was flexible enough to move beyond those things. I heard no complaints about the parking situation. The traffic bottleneck between the buildings will be an issue for us, but we made it work yesterday. My favorite moment was after I began talking first hour and all the power went out. We had already shown two videos that worked perfectly (and we could actually see them on the new screen) and I was able to continue speaking while the problem was taken care of. It was one of those moments when you know that God is in complete control of everything that happens.
So, we had an exciting, fulfilling first day. Now what? Sit back and be comfortable for a while? Don't even think about it. It is very obvious after yesterday that we will not be able to grow indefinitley here at 705 without making some adjustments. We still have plans to relocate our facility to our land at Route 47 and Minooka Rd. in the future. And this facility may very well continue to serve us as an outreach center or additional worship site. This building is a tool that has been loaned to us by God. He is watching to see how we will use this tool to reach more people. Building bridges to connect people with Jesus. That's our mission, and "705" will allow us to continue that mission.
What's next? We still have some projects to complete. A people lift will be installed soon to move wheelchairs, etc. from the Fellowship area to the Worship area. We also want to install a new ramp outside of the Fellowship area (dependent on finances). Later we need to rplace the roof on the entire building, landscaping is being planned and there are several small projects to be done. We now need to focus on how to make use of "705" to reach and engage our community. Please be in prayer for your leadership team as they pray and seek God's direction in these issues. We also would love your input on ideas for reaching people here at the new facility.
I know that God has made this possible. I appreciate all the work that has been done, but this thing at "705" is truly a God-thing. With God all things are possible. And I am dreaming about the possibilities. I love this church!!!
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
"705"
“705” is becoming a reality. It is tough to believe that only a few weeks ago we had no thought of moving into a building. My plan (God just laughed) was to focus on planning our new facility to be built at Rt. 47 and Minooka Rd here in Morris.
God brought this property to our attention and now we will be able to meet here for worship and have our offices. And the cost will be much less than we have been putting out for payment on our office building and rent on the school building. God is so cool!
Closing is Friday – selling Liberty St office building at 9:00 am. Then purchasing 705 E. Washington in Morris at 10:30 am. Pray that all goes smoothly. At 6:30 Friday night we are inviting everyone to come to “705” and pray together over the building. We know there is Power through Prayer and we want to start out at this location praying.
Saturday morning at 8:00 am the work begins. We will be tearing out some carpet and some moveable walls. Lots of wallpaper to remove. Mega cleaning to be done. Many other projects and lots of paint.
The excitement is building! And God is still working on our future site up on Route 47. He has a plan and a timetable. Let’s be great stewards and get ready to come alongside Him in this work.
Pastor Kevin
God brought this property to our attention and now we will be able to meet here for worship and have our offices. And the cost will be much less than we have been putting out for payment on our office building and rent on the school building. God is so cool!
Closing is Friday – selling Liberty St office building at 9:00 am. Then purchasing 705 E. Washington in Morris at 10:30 am. Pray that all goes smoothly. At 6:30 Friday night we are inviting everyone to come to “705” and pray together over the building. We know there is Power through Prayer and we want to start out at this location praying.
Saturday morning at 8:00 am the work begins. We will be tearing out some carpet and some moveable walls. Lots of wallpaper to remove. Mega cleaning to be done. Many other projects and lots of paint.
The excitement is building! And God is still working on our future site up on Route 47. He has a plan and a timetable. Let’s be great stewards and get ready to come alongside Him in this work.
Pastor Kevin
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