Hey all – for the absolute latest information regarding our East Campus Launch, this is the place to be. We had a wonderful chili cook-off and fellowship time Saturday night at Camp Good News in rural Washington. Brian was a wonderful host, and congrats to Lori Crumrine on her award-wining recipe! Below is a recap of our discussions that night along with some last-minute updates. Enjoy!

Where are we going to meet?

The focus of our planning and prayer is the new wing of the District 86 Central Junior High School (CJHS) in East Peoria. We have been in ongoing conversations with the Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, and the Director of Facilities for a couple months. Our request went before the school board in their October meeting, but a final decision was postponed until the November meeting when concerns/issues would be addressed. I met with their leadership again today to understand the concerns and will provide a detailed response to them within the week. I do not foresee any major roadblocks – everything mentioned to date is easily mitigated. However, we still ask for your prayers. This location is more than just a building – it is an opportunity to build strong working relationships within the community we plan to serve. Please pray that the school board would accept our proposal and allow us to meet there as planned.

The December Plan

When Famous Dave’s opened its doors on October 4, do you think that’s the first time the crew served a brisket? I doubt it. Maria Graham noted it can take up to two months of training and preparation to open the doors of a restaurant to the public. Similarly, we can’t just show up on January 16, open our doors, and be ready to serve the community as Richwoods Christian Church. Beyond the logistics, we need time to bond as a family and create a shared vision for what God is calling us to do. To help in this transition, we introduced “The December Plan” (yes, we bleed into January – minor detail…).

Beginning Sunday, December 5, East Campus will begin gathering as a community of believers. Here is a bullet list of the details:

• Four Sunday evenings (12/05, 12/12, 12/19 & 01/02, excluding 12/26)  from 5p – 7p @ CJHS (pending approval)
• A meal will be included
• It will be our worship service for the weekend including fellowship, worship, teaching, communion, and giving (this would make 11/28 our last Sunday at the Knoxville Campus)
• A form of children’s ministry will be offered and geared toward engaging the kids in the transition process
• We will have teaching focused specifically on the launch of East Campus featuring Jim Powell, Joel Dryden, Marty Hunt, and Tim Barnes
• January 9 will be our first full 10:00a service @ CJHS
• January 16 will be our official “public launch” @ CJHS

This is a little out of order, but please mark December 11 on your calendar as well if you are at all able to help with our setup & tear down teams. We will be holding training & practice sessions that day at our Knoxville campus.

East Campus Tools

Remember the “I’m a Tool” fun we had a few weeks back? Well, we carried that idea forward to our meeting Saturday night and played charades/pictionary using all the service roles found around the church. It was a fun way to discuss the various ministry roles we need to fill in the coming weeks. For those of you that could not make it, please click on the link below to see all the opportunities available to us. Would love to hear of anything that really interests you. Shoot us an email and let us know!

East Campus Volunteer Signup

Next Gathering

In addition to “The December Plan”, we have one other gathering on the calendar scheduled for November 13. Details to follow, but we’re hoping to do some community service together. If you have any ideas on how we could do this, don’t hesitate to call or send us an email.

Thanks for taking a moment to read this update. As you can imagine, there are lots of balls in the air right now. We are so thankful for your prayers and support. If you have any questions, let us know!

Ken, Marie, & Dan

Our Gold, Silver & Bronze chili cookers!

Hey all! For those that have been waiting, thanks for your patience… Here are the basics for Saturday’s deal:

• October 23 (this Saturday) from 4p – 7p
• Camp Good News in Washington, IL (follow the link or use detailed directions below)
• The “cook-off” is meant to be light hearted & fun – please RSVP to Ken if bringing a crock pot to share – would love to have at least 10 varieties!
• Also need a few people to bring cornbread and/or dessert
• Drinks & s’more materials will be provided
• What to bring: chili and/or cornbread and/or a dessert, lawn chair (fire pit seating is limited), roasting sticks for marshmallows, and an appetite for food & fun – a couple basketballs/soccer balls would be appreciated, too (weather permitting)

Details:

We are looking forward to sharing an evening together as the Richwoods Christian Church East Campus holds its first “official” meeting as a community of faith. In addition to sharing a meal there will be lawn games (tether ball, soccer, basketball, and more!), a large-group game (charades w/a purpose), information sharing (our meeting location and “The December Plan”), a little music with Dan, and we’ll wrap it all up at the end with s’mores around a bonfire.

Detailed Directions (look for signs once you’re close):

• From Peoria, take Route 24 east toward Washington
• Turn left (north) onto Nofsinger Road (off 24 between Cummings Lane & North Main Street)
• Go 1.1 miles north on Nofsinger Road and turn left (west) on Liberty Lane
• Go 1 mile and turn right into the camp entrance

If East Campus is on your radar – from offering short-term help to a longer-term commitment – this night is for you. We hope you and your family can join us as we begin this exciting journey together.

Blessings to you all!

Ken, Dan & Marie

Special Assistance Needed in the _______ Area: Yes, we are going to be forming ministry teams soon that will enable us to “do church” when we launch in January. We will talk more about that on the 23rd. But right now we have immediate need for some diverse, specialized assistance.

• Photographers/Videographers – Around Knoxville you’ll see Yang, Gary, Devon, and others sporting some pretty nice camera equipment. Do we have any advanced hobbyists out there that would like to help document the launch of our East Campus?
• Graphic Designers – Time to craft our signage.  We have a couple folks already, but I’d like to form a small team that can help with all that needs to be done in this arena. Might that be you?
• Interior Designers – We have some large spaces to furnish, decorate, and design. Is this your thing? It’s not mine…  8-)
• Event Organizers – From the chili cook-off through launch day we have a number of gatherings planned that need some folks to be intentional about getting others involved, crossing t’s and dotting i’s. Do you love doing this?
• Process Designers – What’s the most efficient way from point A to point B? What makes the most sense from a practical and volunteer standpoint? A couple folks have already raised there hands on this one, but are there any others?
• Construction Experts – We’re planning to build everything from industrial carts to staging to possibly even a storage building – from design to final finish. Does that trip your trigger?

God has created each of us with special gifts – talents that we can use to advance his Kingdom. If  your God-given area of expertise is in any of the areas listed above, please send me an email ASAP indicating where you would like to serve.

I realize that broadcast asks like this are less than ideal, but it’s the only way I can reach our entire audience in a timely manner. Thank you for considering these needs and responding right away.

We hope to see you all on October 23rd as we begin forming ministry teams and lay out the final launch calendar. More information regarding that night will be coming soon. Have a great week everyone!

Allow me to introduce you to Blaine. We just met this morning thanks to an introduction from a mutual friend, Kem Meyer. (Of course, they wouldn’t know me from Adam, but that’s the wonder of internet communication venues!) If you check out Blaine’s blog, you’ll see he’s incredibly serious about God’s call on his life. But if you take a moment to check out his video below, you’ll see what I absolutely love about his approach. It is so NOT about us…

Share the love, share the joy, share the fun. Have a little “happy Friday dance” yourself. You know I will!

Happy Friday Dance Party #2 from blaine hogan on Vimeo.

I think that’s the scariest part of this picture. If I weren’t married with a child, if I were younger, if I were more tech savvy… If but a few minor details like that, this could be me.  

Happy Friday, all!