The Story of our First Meeting

The wind was screaming in white-out, blizzard conditions, and when I pulled up to Edison Middle School at 4pm yesterday, none of the driveways were plowed and the sidewalks had 2-foot drifts in front of the doors.  But the weather wasn't the story of the night.

People started filing in.  We had set up about 50 chairs, hoping to fill at least half of them.  With a blizzard, how many people would actually show up?  A lot.  We added row after row of chairs until we had the place filled with 117 people... a miracle from where we stood.  But the crowd wasn't the story of the night.

We started to worship, and I can hardly describe the sense of unity I felt between a bunch of relative strangers, united by their common call: to reach Janesville with the Gospel of Grace.  Hands were raised.  Hearts were poured out.  Prayers were called out.  But worship wasn't the story of the night.

We talked about vision.  We asked questions about specifics and details.  We admitted what we knew and what we didn't know.  We brainstormed ideas about what it would take to reach people in Janesville.  We questioned the feasibility of living as one church in two locations.  We talked about every conceivable plan we could.  But planning wasn't the story of the night.

The story of the night wasn't about something we did.  It wasn't about a song we sang or a plan we hatched.  The story of the night was that the Spirit of the Living God fell in our midst.  There was no denying the power of God at work in our hearts and minds.  There was no missing the call that God was placing on our lives. 

At one point, I looked over at my wife, and she had tears streaming down her face, overwhelmed by the grace of God, the love of the people around us, and the excitement over what God was birthing in that moment.  If you weren't there because of weather or other commitments, I'm really sorry, because it sure was something special.  But don't be too sad.  We're doing it again.  Every last Sunday of the month at 6pm, we'll be doing the same thing.  Don't miss our next one on February 23rd.

I can't believe how blessed I am to be a small part of what God is creating in Janesville, and I can't wait to take the next steps with all of you.

What were your impressions of last night?  Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

The Ground Floor - This Sunday Night

There's something exhilarating about being a part of a movement from the very beginning.  It's one thing to join something great, but it's a whole new experience to be a part of creating something great.  One day, when God has made this Janesville campus plant into the amazing thing He wants it to become, and lives are being changed, we will look back and say, "I was there. I was a part of making that happen."

This Sunday, January 26th, at 6pm at Edison Middle School is the beginning of it all.  Anybody is welcome.  If you're just curious, come.  If you just want to show support, come.  If you're just looking for a night of worship, prayer, and dreaming, come!  (Erik, Mandy, and Pam will be leading with the rest of the new Janesville worship team.)

I can't wait for it all to get started.  See you there!

It's About Time - A Post by Jackie Ray

You'll be hearing from plenty of people other than me on this blog. This one comes from Jackie Ray, who has been my friend for a few years now, and I'm honored that she's decided to join us as we launch our church in Janesville. Enjoy! - Erik

It's about time.

After moving to Janesville seven years ago, I found myself at Central Christian Church in Beloit because family attended. It was never going to be my church. It was going to be an in-between, safe place to land until we got our bearings. Central was a culture shock for me because it didn’t look like “church”,  but it was also a healing place. I was blown away by the prayer ministry, by the concern and care the pastoral staff showed, and by the creativity. I realized that at this church, I could be who God created me to be. I thought for sure I could find a similar church in Janesville.

After visiting several wonderful churches, I realized that I belonged at Central Christian. The DNA of CCC was written on my heart. No other church would do. At Central Christian, “we have no creed but Christ, no book but the Bible.” It is all about Jesus and being His disciple.

The moment I heard that my church was planting a campus in Janesville my heart ignited. This is wonderful news! There really is no church like Central Christian in my city. There are thousands of unchurched people in my community that would never consider visiting a church in Beloit, but a unique church in Janesville might be a different story. Maybe Central will be the church for them, just like it was and still is for me.

It is exciting to pray and plan and think about how this will affect the community I live, shop, and play in. I believe God has a big plan for Central Christian Janesville. It is a privilege and a thrill to be a part of that plan.

Greater things are yet to come!

Special thanks to Jackie Ray for her post this week. Feel free to share your reactions to our campus in Janesville in the comments section below.  And, don't forget to show up at Edison Middle School this Sunday at 6pm for our first get-together. 

Shout-Out From Cali

Sorry, but I had to post a pic of the beach...

Well, I'm out in California for a week or two (conferences and a little vacation), and even though it's beautiful and sunny, my mind continues to wander back to the frozen landscape that is Janesville, and the crazy dream that God has called us to.  Everything I hear and read reaffirms the fantastic possibilities that wait for us this year.  I am convinced that God is putting together just the right people at just the right time in just the right place to do what only he can do in our lives and in the lives of people who don't even know his crazy love yet.

Have you cleared your schedule yet for Sunday, January 26th, at 6pm?  I'm dying to get together with you all, and I can't wait to walk you through where my heart is and hear what you think.  We'll have some great, intimate worship, some open-ended discussion, some talk about vision, and we'll spend time in prayer with the One who will make it all happen. 

If you have any questions you'd like me to touch on, or areas you think we should discuss, post them in the comments at the bottom, and we'll see if we can work it in.

If you haven't liked our Facebook page yet, make sure you do, so you can get all the updates as soon as possible.  See you a week from Sunday!

What Will Sunday Morning Look Like?

Okay, so we all know that church shouldn't really be all about what happens on Sunday morning, but let's face facts.  What happens in the weekend service is the face of the church for a lot of people, and when you talk about starting something new, one of the first questions is, "What will services be like?"

So, without having all of the details, let's spend this post talking about what we think Sundays will look like in Janesville.  I've gotten a few questions, so we'll make this a Q&A thing.

Q:  If this is a "satellite campus," will all the sermons be of David Clark on video?

 

A:  One of the things we never want to lose is the sense that our church is one church, in both Beloit and Janesville.  Using video sermons on a regular basis will help us do that to a degree that other options won't.  At the same time, we want to create an identity of our own as a congregation within the church.  So, we will most likely start with almost exclusively video sermons, and work our way into finding a healthy balance between having our own unique services with live teaching and staying connected to the church through video teaching.

Q:  What will Erik's role be in worship services?

A:  While I'm excited to get back to leading worship on a regular basis, I'm also excited to get the chance to preach regularly.  I will begin by leading worship weekly, but eventually build teams to the point where I can take breaks to preach once or twice a month.  I will also be the Lead Campus Pastor, overseeing the leadership team and serving as the point-leader for the entire effort.

Q:  Will there be Kid's Ministry?

A:  YES!  This is a simple one to answer, but a very complex one to make happen.  I'm thankful for Robin Benskin and Joseph Roth, who will give us insight into all of this.  I'm also convinced that God will raise up just the right volunteer leadership.  One of my concerns is that we will only have one worship service to begin with, and the last thing I want is for people who are involved in Kidzworks to feel left out of our community.  Our goal will be to recruit three full volunteer teams, so any one volunteer never serves more than every third week.

Q:  What kinds of teams will we need for Sunday mornings?

A:  Some of that depends on where we end up (see our last post).  Most likely, we will be mobile, requiring a setup and tear-down team.  We'll also need Guest Relations, Worship, Production, Kidzworks, Hospitality, and probably more that I can't think of right now.  There will be no shortage of places for anyone and everyone to serve.

I hope that answers some of your questions about what our services will be like when we launch in October.  I honestly can't wait to get started, but the next 9 months are going to be filled with a lot of work and a lot of fun.  Make sure you take the whole ride with us, beginning with our first meeting on Sunday, January 26th, @6pm at Edison Middle School in Janesville.

This is what I foresee it looking like.  What do you think?  Do you have any ideas for how our services can be different or new?  Tell us what you think in the comments below. 

The first question...

Okay, so it's probably one of the first questions that came to your mind when you thought about a Central Christian Church in Janesville.  It's almost always the first question I'm asked.  Where?


So I thought we'd spend our post today letting you all know about the "where" of it all. But first I'd like to remind us that the "where" isn't nearly as important as the "who."  Who will God call to make the move with us?  Who will sacrifice their time and energy to be a part of something new?  Who is God calling us to help reconcile to Him?  Who will we all become in the process?

I know it should go without saying, but the church is not a place, it's a people.  The place is just that... a place.  So, when we talk about the "where," we're just looking for the best possible atmosphere to grow into the community of Christ followers that God wants us to be.

Having said all of that, the place does matter.  And right now, we honestly don't know where we're going to end up.  It's the first thing that we'd like to ask you to pray about.  Pray that God would open the right door for just the right place at just the right time at just the right cost.

Where we stand right now...

There are three options for acquiring a place to meet.  First is buying or building a property.  We have all but ruled this out, because we honestly don't know what this effort is going to look like a year or two down the road, let alone 5 or 10 years.  Buying or building would force us to make long term decisions before we even know what our needs might be... not to mention the enormous initial cost.

The second option is leasing retail, business, office, or warehouse space.  We're looking at all of these options in Janesville with the help of a real estate firm.  The plus about leasing a place is that we would have access to it all week long, wouldn't need to set up and tear down each weekend, and would have a defined place in the community.  Unfortunately, most of this space is rather pricey ($75,000-$100,000 per year), and would require a large infusion of money up front to do what they call the "build out" -  turning the space into a church.

The third option is renting a school or movie theater.  It would mean that we have to keep all of our sound/lighting/video equipment, signage, and children's ministry supplies in a trailer which we would unload, set up, tear down, and reload each weekend.  Many church plants start this way, however, because the cost is significantly lower ($20,000-$25,000 per year with no build out.)

I have already been in contact with the School District of Janesville, and they have been amazing.  I have toured 3 of the 4 schools with auditoriums, and have really been impressed with both Parker High School and Edison Middle School for different reasons (more on that in another post.)  Craig High School's facilities won't really fit our needs, and I am scheduled to tour Franklin Middle School next week, but I feel cautiously optimistic that renting a school is a doable option for us. 

I want to keep all of our options open, because God might just have something better in mind than we could have ever imagined.  I just wanted to help answer some of the questions that I know are on your mind.  Keep your eyes peeled for the next post where I tackle the question, "What will services look like?" Video sermons?  Live worship?  Kid's ministry?  Stay tuned...

Here we go...!

I have to admit that I feel like I'm standing at the edge of a cliff, parachute strapped to my back, heart pounding.  It's not that I'm nervous about what we're about to embark on.  It's that I see the potential for what it can be, and I don't want to miss a second of it.  Come fly with me...

In case you don't know what I'm talking about, we're about to start something in Janesville, Wisconsin that will alter the course of lives, change the shape of eternities, and impact people in a way few cold imagine.  Think I'm exaggerating?  I probably am... but not by much.  We stand at the precipice of what could be a fantastic move of God, not because we're smart or good, but because God is.

When we say that we're launching Central Christian Church in Janesville, it immediately takes on a shape in our minds.  It's a church, and we know what churches look like.  But what if we could peel back the layers of what we know about church and ask ourselves, "What would church look like if God had his way?"  What if we didn't have anything holding us back from building the kind of life-changing community that even your friends would want to be a part of?  What if we could question everything about how we do church, find what matters most, and give ourselves to it?

You feeling it yet?

There's potential here.  And it's not because we'll have great programming (although let's just say that the musicians that are going with us are some of the best around.)  It's not because we'll do lots of marketing.  It's not because we've got all the answers to all of life's questions.  It's because we're going to humbly admit that we don't always know what we need to know, and let God build us from the ground up.

Interested?  I am.  So, let's get started.  Come hang out with us on January 26th at 6pm at Edison Middle School in Janesville.  This will be our first official get-together, and anybody's invited.  If you know you want to be a part of this thing, you aren't going to want to miss it.  If you're just interested, come check it out.  If you're a member at Central in Beloit, and just want to come pray and worship with us, you're always welcome.

Don't forget to like our Facebook Page if you haven't already, and follow us on Twitter @centraljanes