Kids ROCK has more than doubled in the last two years and we are seeing exciting things happening. Kids learning about Jesus,  learning the bible stories,  getting baptized,  making friends and parents being filled up by their worship time while knowing that the kids are safe.  Adding Teri will help us continue to be able to reach more families. (That’s Teri’s husband Bill in the photo)

Kade is currently the girls soccer coach at Lincoln Christian University as well, He and his wife Katie will be relocating to the Peoria area as soon as the soccer season is completed.

Our youth ministry at Richwoods has grown more than 400% over the past two years.  God is using the youth ministry to help students from many backgrounds find and follow Christ on a weekly basis, and for that we are grateful. Expanding our youth staff with Kade will help us continue effective ministry to students.  You can see all of the youth staff here on this page.

BTW, we will be attempting to instruct these two on how to change the date on their camera, this photo indicates it was taken in 2008, that’s just not true.

Update from NCC Visit from Ken Stewart on Vimeo.

East Campus Staff Intro – #richwoodseast from Ken Stewart on Vimeo.

• Brad Crumrine and I had an amazing weekend visiting The Chapel – a multi-site church in the Chicagoland area. If you get a chance, ask Brad about his impressions of the experience and the affirmations we experienced. It was great to actually see it in action. We can do this, folks!
• Joel Dryden and I will be visiting another multi-site church at the end of August. National Community Church, a.k.a. the “theater church”, meets primarily in theaters along the metro line in Washington D.C. – if you can get to the train, you can get to the church! Please pray for our journey as we hope to gain additional insights that will help us navigate the next few months of our East Campus launch.
• Group Life is beginning to gain momentum. As we discussed at our last launch team picnic, it is the heartbeat of the church. I am praying that we will all acknowledge the value of community and actively seek out relationships that will help us to grow in our walk with Christ. Be it Home2Home, Men2Men, Women2Women, or some combination of the above, please be praying about your involvement in the Group Life ministry. It will take patience and perseverance as we move forward, but it will be oh, so worth it as a foundation for spiritual health in the East Campus.
• The question I receive the most right now is this: “Where are East Campus services going to be held?” The two top candidates are still the high school and the junior high, but they’re kinda busy right now with the start of school and all. Planning to meet with both of them in early September to get this decision behind us. Please continue to pray for this situation.
• Our biggest news right now, without a doubt, is that our staff selection process is complete! Marie Osborne is joining us as our Children’s Ministry Director, and Daniel Crumrine is joining us as our Worship Ministry Director. I so thankful for what God has provided here and could not be more pleased with this team. Stay tuned for more info on these two in the very near future!
• We need to meet in person again soon! Come one, come all to our next East Campus launch gathering happening in September. The actual date and time for this event will be determined and communicated soon, but I wanted to put it out there now so you would at least know it was coming. Meet the staff, join the conversation, and add to the momentum as we take another step forward toward the launch of the East Campus of Richwoods Christian Church!

Whew! Did you get through it all? The labor of reading so many words. It’s tough in today’s world, isn’t it? Which leads me to my final point of this communication. If you want to know the absolute latest…if you want to get to know our staff better – even beyond what we do for the church…if you want bite-size communications rather than long letters like this one…then grasp the value of 140 characters or less and join us on Twitter and/or Facebook!

Far from the impersonal, techno-centric, fad-ish reputation some have perpetuated, Twitter really is an amazing communication tool. By design, Twitter users are forced to communicate in a very concise, real-time manner. And it connects seamlessly with facebook, so even non-Twitter facebook users can benefit from our broadcast messages.

So, if you want the absolute latest on what’s going on around Richwoods in bite-sized increments, try following the church and our staff members on Twitter and facebook. Fad or not, believe it or not, it’s real communication.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to send me an email. I would love to hear from you. God bless y’all!

FPU @ Richwoods – Fall 2010 from Ken Stewart on Vimeo.

Dates: Tuesdays beginning September 7 and ending November 30

Times: 6:15p – 8:15p

Informational Sessions: Between services (approx. 10:30a) on August 22 & 29 in meeting room #1 (off the commons to the right of the offices)

Registration and/or questions? Email us at FPU@richwoods.org

We would love to see you there!!

For the ambitious among you, check out Dave Ramsey’s FPU PREVIEW VIDEO. It is about 25 minutes long, but it will answer virtually any question you may have about the program, and it will give you a glimpse of Dave’s unique and engaging teaching style. Enjoy!

Monday, August 30, 2010

2:30-7:00 pm @ Richwoods

Please visit redcrossblood.org
to schedule an appointment

Here’s a note from one of RIchwoods’ Heroes:

I have been a dedicated Red Cross donor for the past 20 years.  I recently achieved giving 42 gallons.  This has been accomplished over the years by donating Platelets and whole blood.  As an A-negative blood type donor, I am often called upon to give as this blood type represents only 6% of the average donor and is always in demand.   I have felt blessed to be able to give a small bit of myself to help save the lives of so many over the years.  It’s been a very rewarding experience to know that one donation can help save the lives of up to 3 different people.  I have had the privilege of meeting some of the families that have received the donations and have heard their stories of gratitude and thanks.

Donating blood is totally safe, quick, and painless.  It only takes about 10 minutes to donate a pint of blood and 24 hours for your body to replace the blood fluid volume.  Less than 5% of the general population donates blood and yet the majority of people will have at least one family member who will require at least one blood transfusion in their lifetime.  Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood.  More than 38,000 blood donations are needed every day.

Please plan to join us at our blood drive on Monday, August 30th at Richwoods Christian Church. We’ll see you there!
Mike Fiedler

Join other women desiring transparent friendships and authentic faith.

Forest Park Nature Center

Friday, August 13th 6:30-8:30pm

Snacks and Beverages provided

Adult women only

]]> http://www.richwoods.org/?feed=rss2&p=1991 1 http://www.richwoods.org/?p=1985 http://www.richwoods.org/?p=1985#comments Sun, 08 Aug 2010 18:00:00 +0000 Joel http://www.richwoods.org/?p=1985 08/08/10 from the series “Overwhelmed” by Pastor Jim Powell

Our family is currently enjoying a little down time in Branson, MO, away from the daily “grind” of life. No rush, no schedule, and no pressure to be anything other than Mommy, Daddy, and Baby Girl. It has taken us a couple days to get used to it, but I’m now looking forward to connecting on a deeper level with the two most important women in my life. Time is on our side, and the spirit of summer is conducive to reaching levels of connection that can evade us in everyday life. We are blessed to have this opportunity.

Richwoods is doing something similar in Group Life. We’re providing Summer Connections events where people can get together, have fun, and experience a taste of Group Life within the context of the lazy days of summer. No commitments, no worries – just a little food, fun and fellowship as we share the wonder of Group Life with those that may not know what it’s all about. Check the link above for details – we would love to see you there!

Take advantage of the spirit of summer and come out to play! We’re going to have a great time. And while we’re at it, we will hopefully realize the value of connecting in community. It’s a powerful thing.

“God’s aim in human history is the creation of an inclusive community of loving persons, with Himself included as its primary sustainer and most glorious inhabitant.”  –  Dallas Willard

This is the next brief chapter in our “Who, What, When, Where, Why” series regarding the Richwoods multi-site effort. I say “#1″ because there will undoubtedly be additional installments on this particular topic. It’s both broad and deep, but I wanted to at least begin the “What” discourse.

One Church, Many Locations

Think about our existing services. If you attend Richwoods regularly, you’ve likely settled in to one or the other. You may occasionally switch, but you are primarily either a “Saturday @ 5:30 pm”, a “Sunday @9:15 am” or a “Sunday @ 11:00 am” person. Does the fact that we meet at different times mean we aren’t “one church”? Not at all!

In much the same way, as our East Campus gets up and running next year, you will likely settle in to one campus or the other. Any number of factors might influence that decision, but one should not be an issue at all – whichever campus you attend, you will experience and be a part of Richwoods Christian Church.

We are one church that happens to meet at various times, and soon-to-be in various locations, throughout the greater Peoria area.

Date: Saturday, August 14th
Time: 3:45- 7:00pm
Jubilee State Park Quail Meadow
Follow signs – don’t ask for directions
Tasty Dinner • Sports Fun (dodgeball, cricket, bags)
Guest Speaker • Great Message Good Conversation

bring a friend and a snack to share

In an informational meeting a few weeks back regarding our multi-site effort at Richwoods, I joked that there were many, many unknowns – so many, in fact, that we didn’t even know what name we were going to use for the new site!

Of course, we are Richwoods Christian Church. That name will remain. But what we hadn’t done is specifically think through the identifier we would use to reference this new campus. All we knew was that it was going to be hosted somewhere in East Peoria, and that became the de-facto moniker until further notice.

Well, consider this post “further notice”. After intentional deliberation of possible names, it has been decided. From here forward our new campus will be referred to as: Richwoods Christian Church – East Campus (or simply “East Campus”).

Whew! Glad that’s behind us!

Just kidding, of course, on that exclamation. But I am very pleased to be able to announce this news. I am so looking forward to working with many of you to bring our East Campus into being.

Blessings to you all!

It’s a mantra that I’ve heard over and over the past five or six years. It’s not a revolutionary concept, I guess, but the depth and breadth of its truth continues to reveal itself to me. I see it in every area of life, but none more prominently than right here in my place of worship.

Almost two years ago exactly, Richwoods Christian Church moved just a few blocks down the road – from Terra Vista Drive to Knoxville Avenue – from being nestled in a neighborhood to claiming a redeemed store front on four busy lanes of city traffic.

And in that two years, our Sunday morning attendance has roughly doubled. Um…wow. Thank you, Lord. (Imagine the changes your organization or church might have to go through if it doubled in size in just two years. Growth changes everything.)

As I reflected on our move to Knoxville and our ongoing transition to becoming a multi-campus church, it hit me. After two years, we have almost 500 people that don’t remember what it was like to worship on Terra Vista Drive. Again…wow.

Two years from now, how many Richwoods people won’t know what it was like to worship on Knoxville Avenue? Growth changes everything.

It may seem like a strange question to some, but it’s an honest one. Who will make the EP campus of Richwoods Christian Church their new home?

The core answer is relatively simple – those that believe in what God is doing at Richwoods and have a God-shaped desire to be a part of helping the EP campus come into being.

Geography seems to be a pretty natural secondary indicator. Because both campuses will be designed to offer the same experience – even the same teaching/teachers – the draw of one site over another will likely be minimized.

It would seem to make sense that people in Washington, Morton, and other communities east of the river would consider the EP campus to be their church home, but that’s not necessarily a given. Likewise, someone living in Dunlap or northwest Peoria may believe they are being called to serve in EP. In either case, geography is truly secondary. God’s call on your heart is primary.

In our efforts to promote the EP campus and encourage folks to be a part of the exciting things we believe God is going to do over there, we must balance enthusiasm with respect for one another’s decision process.

Please honestly bow before God and ask him to reveal in your heart where he would have you to serve. I will do the same on your behalf as I pray for God to bring a group of people together that have a specific desire to help our friends and neighbors on the east side of the river find and follow Christ.

Who is Richwoods EP? Maybe you!

what: ep campus launch team gathering

when: saturday, july 10 from 4:30 pm to 7:00 pm

where: fon du lac west park in east peoria (directions below)

who: anyone considering the possibility of our new ep campus being their church “home” – bring the kids along!

why: we’re going to have a meal together, dream, share, seek God, discuss possibilities, and begin the ongoing conversation of what this means for ourselves, richwoods, and the greater east peoria area

robin fiedler has agreed to organize this little shin-dig (thanks, robin!), so look below for her response where she’ll post any details beyond what you see above. i’m looking forward to beginning this journey with you. please continue to pray for this effort. and if you would, consider specifically asking God to place a desire on people’s hearts to join us. it is his calling and his blessing we seek.

i can’t wait to see you on the 10th! blessings to you all…

ken

directions: turn south onto springfield road from washington street in east peoria, the park entrance is your first right after stewart street as you ascend the hill, it is a relatively hidden entrance with a very hard right turn that takes you up a drive – look for balloons or richwoods signage because the park entrance is not well marked (but it’s a beautiful park!)

map link

additional map & shelter info

These five questions are fundamental to a thorough understanding of any idea, concept, or action. The more of these questions you can answer, and the deeper you can go into the subject matter, the better readers/hearers will understand you.

That being the case, I guess it makes sense to attempt to answer these questions regarding one of the biggest things happening at Richwoods Christian Church (and subsequently in my own life). Over the next few blog entries I will attempt to do just that.

Richwoods is a multi-site church that serves the greater Peoria/tri-county area in Illinois. We are currently located on north Knoxville Avenue in Peoria, and in January, 2011, we will launch an additional campus on the east side of the river. That’s the nutshell version, but it begs additional questions (yep, The BIG Five):

Who - Who are we? Who will be going to the additional campus? Who is leading the effort? Who will benefit?

What - What is “multi-site”? What is a “campus”? What is a “venue”? What will this new campus look and feel like? What’chu thinkin’? (that’s actually under “Why?”)

When - Uh…when?

Where - ditto

Why - There’s the money-maker! Why are we doing this? What is our motivation? What do we hope to gain from doing something here-to-fore unknown in central Illinois?

I’m looking forward to assembling these thoughts for your reading pleasure. Beyond that, these posts will provide a basis for you to help spread the word about this relatively new way of “doing” church. It’s really quite exciting, biblically grounded, and effective.

But, whatever you do, don’t ask me “How” we’re going to do it. I’m contractually obligated to The Big Five questions, and that would be six – no can do. Oh, and don’t expect them to be in any particular order, either. Gotta’ shake it up a little bit, dontchaknow…

Happy reading!