Hosted by the Chicago Church of Christ, what began as a conference became a giant family reunion. Adding to the incredible fellowship was powerful preaching, in-depth teaching, inspiring worship, and a deepening of our conviction to be attuned to God’s everyday call in our lives.
Guided by the theme, “The Call,” each of the classes and the big-session lessons centered on the many ways God calls us throughout our lives. We had classes for nearly every phase and facet of life. We were honored to have Sam Powell (New York City Church) as our guest speaker. With his wife Cynthia home recovering from the flu, Sam made the trip to Chicago and delivered two very powerful messages, including a closing sermon entitled, “The Call to Go.” Lives were changed over the course of the weekend, and many made the decision to become disciples of Jesus. Amen!Standing out among the highlights of the weekend was the appointment of three new elders in the Chicago Church. With great joy, we witnessed the appointment of Darren Gauthier, Ed Dawson and Dwight Decker to the eldership in the Chicago Church. Each of these men and their wives has served God and His people over the course of many decades. They have proven time and time again to be of great courage, deep conviction and genuine faith. As the Chicago Church, along with the rest of the Midwest family, continues to grow and expand, we are honored and inspired to see elderships being developed and strengthened to meet the ongoing needs of the saints.
In addition to the three elders, Phil and Jill Perez were appointed as evangelist and women’s ministry leader. After coming back into the ministry around two years ago, they have led our Dekalb Ministry (including NIU) in a powerful way! Please pray for the Midwest family. We are nearly 4000 disciples in 18 churches across a five-state region. Though the work is never easy, we are seeing hundreds and hundreds added to our number each year. Since the launch of our 20/20 vision, three new church plantings have gone out, and all of these fledgling congregations are experiencing significant growth, with two of the three having more than doubled in size. In all of this our unity stands out, and the bond of our commitment to support the ongoing work in the Midwest is as strong as ever. To God be the glory!
Much love,
AT Arneson – Chicago Church of Christ
For more information or to listen to the classes from our recent conference please visit the Chicago website: www.chicagochurch.org.