I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior . . . 1 Timothy 2:1-3
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Holy Habits, Wholly Living
Train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. 1 Timothy 4:7-9
Ash Wednesday, February 25, begins the season of Lent. During the Lenten season we will be examining holy habits that enable us to wholly live. Another name for these holy habits are called the spiritual disciplines.
Spiritual disciplines are essential for growth in our Christian faith. They are tools that God gives to us. But unless a tool is used, it serves no purpose. We will work to discover how to best use these tools in a significant way and enable us to more fully live for the Lord.
Practicing the spiritual disciplines make a tremendous difference in our lives. On the surface it might seem that practicing these disciplines would restrict our lives and put constraints on our time. But the reality is that the disciplines are given to us to free us. The disciplines help raise us above the constraints of this world to taste the unlimitlessness of God.
Discipline is important in every aspect of our lives. Maybe you have heard it said, “you can pay now and play later, or you can play now and pay later.” There is much truth in that statement. Living a disciplined life may be difficult in the moment, but there is much reward that accompanies it.
I pray that you will practice the discipline of worship and join us for our new message series - Holy Habits, Wholly Living. This new message series begins on Sunday, February 22 where we will discuss an ancient discipline that is often lost in the modern world. That is the discipline of fasting.
Ash Wednesday, February 25, begins the season of Lent. During the Lenten season we will be examining holy habits that enable us to wholly live. Another name for these holy habits are called the spiritual disciplines.
Spiritual disciplines are essential for growth in our Christian faith. They are tools that God gives to us. But unless a tool is used, it serves no purpose. We will work to discover how to best use these tools in a significant way and enable us to more fully live for the Lord.
Practicing the spiritual disciplines make a tremendous difference in our lives. On the surface it might seem that practicing these disciplines would restrict our lives and put constraints on our time. But the reality is that the disciplines are given to us to free us. The disciplines help raise us above the constraints of this world to taste the unlimitlessness of God.
Discipline is important in every aspect of our lives. Maybe you have heard it said, “you can pay now and play later, or you can play now and pay later.” There is much truth in that statement. Living a disciplined life may be difficult in the moment, but there is much reward that accompanies it.
I pray that you will practice the discipline of worship and join us for our new message series - Holy Habits, Wholly Living. This new message series begins on Sunday, February 22 where we will discuss an ancient discipline that is often lost in the modern world. That is the discipline of fasting.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Lord of Life Celebrates 20 Years
This weekend Lord of Life celebrated 20 years. it was a great celebration and many thanks to everyone who helped to make it possible.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Today is the Day
Happy Birthday Lord of Life! The big Two Zero! 20 years ago this exact day Lord of Life held its first worship.
So much has changed since then - not only at Lord of Life, but in the world as well. What was the world like in 1989? Well, Ronald Reagan was president on January 15 and a few short days later George Bush, Sr. would succeed him. It was the year of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. It was the year of the Tienanmen Square protests. San Franscisco was rocked by a major earthquake. Pete Rose was banned from baseball. The Berlin Wall was torn down. I was still in High School. Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls had yet to win a championship and the Chicago Cubs were still practicing futility.
We didn't know then what Lord of Life would look like 20 years later, but through it all, God was there. There have been good times. There have been not so good of times. There have been times of abundance. There have been times of famine. There have been joys and there have been sorrows.
People have come. People have gone. People have comeback and still others have passed on to glory. Some have fallen away and we pray them to come back to Jesus. Others have come to Jesus for the very first time. As the writer of Ecclesiastes shares there is a time for every activity under the sun.
An anniversary is a time to look back, but even more so it is a time to look forward. The theme for this anniversary is forever forward. It is based upon Hebrews 12:1-3 where we are told to fix your eyes upon Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith. We can look forward. We can look backwards, but always we will look to Jesus.
Our hope, our provision, our glory, our forgiveness, our memories, our stories, our mission, our lives all belong to Jesus. So to Him be all the glory for great things he has done.
Please join me in praying for the celebration this weekend. I am praying that it will be a joyful time and a time to unite us new and old in Jesus Christ. I pray it will be a weekend that Jesus will be lifted high and a weekend to move us forward in mission.
We have almost 350 people RSVP'ed for the dinner and a great worship planned. Hope to see you there.
So much has changed since then - not only at Lord of Life, but in the world as well. What was the world like in 1989? Well, Ronald Reagan was president on January 15 and a few short days later George Bush, Sr. would succeed him. It was the year of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. It was the year of the Tienanmen Square protests. San Franscisco was rocked by a major earthquake. Pete Rose was banned from baseball. The Berlin Wall was torn down. I was still in High School. Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls had yet to win a championship and the Chicago Cubs were still practicing futility.
We didn't know then what Lord of Life would look like 20 years later, but through it all, God was there. There have been good times. There have been not so good of times. There have been times of abundance. There have been times of famine. There have been joys and there have been sorrows.
People have come. People have gone. People have comeback and still others have passed on to glory. Some have fallen away and we pray them to come back to Jesus. Others have come to Jesus for the very first time. As the writer of Ecclesiastes shares there is a time for every activity under the sun.
An anniversary is a time to look back, but even more so it is a time to look forward. The theme for this anniversary is forever forward. It is based upon Hebrews 12:1-3 where we are told to fix your eyes upon Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith. We can look forward. We can look backwards, but always we will look to Jesus.
Our hope, our provision, our glory, our forgiveness, our memories, our stories, our mission, our lives all belong to Jesus. So to Him be all the glory for great things he has done.
Please join me in praying for the celebration this weekend. I am praying that it will be a joyful time and a time to unite us new and old in Jesus Christ. I pray it will be a weekend that Jesus will be lifted high and a weekend to move us forward in mission.
We have almost 350 people RSVP'ed for the dinner and a great worship planned. Hope to see you there.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
The First Gathering
In September of 1988 the first gathering of Lord of Life Church took place when 23 people met in a home in rural St. Charles to discuss the start of a new church.
Monday, January 12, 2009
A History of Lord of Life
I spent a little time today compiling a history of Lord of Life Church. Here is what I found:
Lord of Life Church was birthed out of a partnership that was formed by St. Mark’s Lutheran in St. Charles, Faith Lutheran in Geneva, and Immanuel Lutheran in Batavia.
A new seminary graduate, the Rev. Scott F. Rische, was called by the Northern Illinois District of Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod to serve as a mission developer in a yet to be determined location. On July 17, 1988 Pastor Rische was commissioned at St. Mark’s Lutheran to begin his work.
The first gathering of Lord of Life took place when 23 children, youth, and adults gathered in the home of Dave and Lynn Kaufmann in a rural community west of St. Charles in early September 1988 for the purpose of beginning a new ministry in this area.
Under the leadership of Pastor Rische, the fellowship gatherings soon grew to more than 50 as these early leaders witnessed to the community through door-to-door visitation, making phone calls, putting up posters around the community, and inviting their friends and family members.
The new church planned for it’s first public worship service to be held at Wasco school on January 15, 1989. It was decided that the format of the church would be a compromise between traditional and contemporary worship. Pastor Rische shared in an interview with a local newspaper that he’d like the church to attract “people who don’t feel they’ve found a church they are comfortable with. Even through their are a lot of churches (in the area) not every one is going to church.”
Providing Sunday worship services at Wasco School appeared, at times, to be truly “servant’s work”! The enormous task of creating a worship center in the gymnasium of Wasco School each and every Sunday for almost five years was challenging but served to bond the committed and faithful servants who unfolded and folded hundreds of chairs, set and unset the altar, disconnected and reconnected the sound system, and carried in and carried out every single item necessary for the administration of Sunday School, Bible classes, nursery care, and worship services. This challenge of recreating God’s house every Sunday was met with enthusiasm and amazing fortitude. The lasting symbol from this era was the “infamous” horse trailer owned by Jim and Barb Krage that would be used to transport all the altar, pulpit, and other supplies for Sunday Services.
Before its one year anniversary Lord of Life was averaging 140 people in worship and 80 in Bible Class. Plans were being made to expand to two worship services and to build a new church building on the corner of LaFox Rd and Route 38.
On October 28, 1990 Lord of Life celebrated “Charter Sunday” when it was officially received as a member of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod as a church. It had been previously identified as a “mission.”
That same month a building committee was formed, chaired by Bob Kessler. A capital steward program “All Building for One, One Building for All,” (aka: ABOOBA) was kicked off in October 1991 and was met with tremendous enthusiasm and faith. On July 26, 1992 a groundbreaking was celebrated at the site and construction began in September that year. Because their faith in God and belief in His promise to honor their sacrifices, the permanent church home of Lord of Life became a reality when the first worship service was held at the corner of LaFox Rd and Route 38 on November 21, 1993.
In September 1994, Lord of Life Preschool opened its doors for the very first time calling Marliss Laughridge to serve as director. Four teachers and four aides were hired to serve the new preschool with capacity of 141 students. Lord of Life preschool continues still today as an important ministry of Lord of Life.
Lord of Life continued to expand and on April 30, 1995 a second pastor was added to the staff when Pastor Barry Kolb was installed as Associate Pastor. It was not long after when on May 26, 1996 when Pastor Rische said farewell after accepting a new Call to First Lutheran Church in El Cajon, CA.
Under the leadership of Pastor Kolb Lord of Life began a new capital campaign called Extending the Light to retire the debt having been incurred from the previous building campaign and purchase of the property.
In January 2003 another capital campaign was started called “Building God’s Ministries” for the purpose of expanding the original church building. On March 23, 2003 the voter’s approved the construction of a new “Family Life Center” and June 12, 2005 the first worship was held in the new building expansion that had tripled the size of the existing building.
On February 15, 2004 a congregational meeting was held to call Pastor Phil Ressler as Associate Pastor. In March 2008, we said farewell to Pastor Kolb after having received and accepted a call to First Lutheran Church in Texarkana, TX. And in May 2008 Pastor Ressler was installed as Senior Pastor of Lord of Life.
Today, Lord of Life continues to strive to be faithful to the Great Commission and the Great Commandment. We continue to reach out to the unchurched population of our community with the gospel of Jesus.
Our Mission
We are Lord of Life church, people united through faith in Jesus Christ. As God's people, we are committed, as He directed, to growing in faith, fellowship & love for one another. We offer people exciting new challenges and opportunities to become active, vibrant & vital participants in the ministry of this congregation. It is our mission to proclaim the Gospel of salvation, so that all people, everywhere, might find forgiveness, reconciliation & a new life in Christ.
Lord of Life Church was birthed out of a partnership that was formed by St. Mark’s Lutheran in St. Charles, Faith Lutheran in Geneva, and Immanuel Lutheran in Batavia.
A new seminary graduate, the Rev. Scott F. Rische, was called by the Northern Illinois District of Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod to serve as a mission developer in a yet to be determined location. On July 17, 1988 Pastor Rische was commissioned at St. Mark’s Lutheran to begin his work.
The first gathering of Lord of Life took place when 23 children, youth, and adults gathered in the home of Dave and Lynn Kaufmann in a rural community west of St. Charles in early September 1988 for the purpose of beginning a new ministry in this area.
Under the leadership of Pastor Rische, the fellowship gatherings soon grew to more than 50 as these early leaders witnessed to the community through door-to-door visitation, making phone calls, putting up posters around the community, and inviting their friends and family members.
The new church planned for it’s first public worship service to be held at Wasco school on January 15, 1989. It was decided that the format of the church would be a compromise between traditional and contemporary worship. Pastor Rische shared in an interview with a local newspaper that he’d like the church to attract “people who don’t feel they’ve found a church they are comfortable with. Even through their are a lot of churches (in the area) not every one is going to church.”
Providing Sunday worship services at Wasco School appeared, at times, to be truly “servant’s work”! The enormous task of creating a worship center in the gymnasium of Wasco School each and every Sunday for almost five years was challenging but served to bond the committed and faithful servants who unfolded and folded hundreds of chairs, set and unset the altar, disconnected and reconnected the sound system, and carried in and carried out every single item necessary for the administration of Sunday School, Bible classes, nursery care, and worship services. This challenge of recreating God’s house every Sunday was met with enthusiasm and amazing fortitude. The lasting symbol from this era was the “infamous” horse trailer owned by Jim and Barb Krage that would be used to transport all the altar, pulpit, and other supplies for Sunday Services.
Before its one year anniversary Lord of Life was averaging 140 people in worship and 80 in Bible Class. Plans were being made to expand to two worship services and to build a new church building on the corner of LaFox Rd and Route 38.
On October 28, 1990 Lord of Life celebrated “Charter Sunday” when it was officially received as a member of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod as a church. It had been previously identified as a “mission.”
That same month a building committee was formed, chaired by Bob Kessler. A capital steward program “All Building for One, One Building for All,” (aka: ABOOBA) was kicked off in October 1991 and was met with tremendous enthusiasm and faith. On July 26, 1992 a groundbreaking was celebrated at the site and construction began in September that year. Because their faith in God and belief in His promise to honor their sacrifices, the permanent church home of Lord of Life became a reality when the first worship service was held at the corner of LaFox Rd and Route 38 on November 21, 1993.
In September 1994, Lord of Life Preschool opened its doors for the very first time calling Marliss Laughridge to serve as director. Four teachers and four aides were hired to serve the new preschool with capacity of 141 students. Lord of Life preschool continues still today as an important ministry of Lord of Life.
Lord of Life continued to expand and on April 30, 1995 a second pastor was added to the staff when Pastor Barry Kolb was installed as Associate Pastor. It was not long after when on May 26, 1996 when Pastor Rische said farewell after accepting a new Call to First Lutheran Church in El Cajon, CA.
Under the leadership of Pastor Kolb Lord of Life began a new capital campaign called Extending the Light to retire the debt having been incurred from the previous building campaign and purchase of the property.
In January 2003 another capital campaign was started called “Building God’s Ministries” for the purpose of expanding the original church building. On March 23, 2003 the voter’s approved the construction of a new “Family Life Center” and June 12, 2005 the first worship was held in the new building expansion that had tripled the size of the existing building.
On February 15, 2004 a congregational meeting was held to call Pastor Phil Ressler as Associate Pastor. In March 2008, we said farewell to Pastor Kolb after having received and accepted a call to First Lutheran Church in Texarkana, TX. And in May 2008 Pastor Ressler was installed as Senior Pastor of Lord of Life.
Today, Lord of Life continues to strive to be faithful to the Great Commission and the Great Commandment. We continue to reach out to the unchurched population of our community with the gospel of Jesus.
Our Mission
We are Lord of Life church, people united through faith in Jesus Christ. As God's people, we are committed, as He directed, to growing in faith, fellowship & love for one another. We offer people exciting new challenges and opportunities to become active, vibrant & vital participants in the ministry of this congregation. It is our mission to proclaim the Gospel of salvation, so that all people, everywhere, might find forgiveness, reconciliation & a new life in Christ.
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