About 2 months ago I shared about theCreative Matters book project that I was priviledged to be a part of. If you missed it, it’s a book that serves as a field guide for the role of creativity in the Church. You can learn more here and download a copy for your Kindle, nook, or iBooks.
To go along with the book, there are Creative Collective Meet Ups happening around the country where you can gather and network with area creatives, get some inspiration… and be back to work by 11 [if you so choose].
The Chicago Creative Collective Meet Up is happening on Wednesday, June 29, from 9-10:30 AM at Soul City Church in Chicago. Tom Ryan, CEO of the incredible Chicago-based T-shirt company threadless will be there to share some ideas as well as Willow Creek’s brilliant creative director [and soon-to-be-author] Blaine Hogan.
If you don’t know about threadless, it’s a community-based design company with an ongoing open-call for design submissions from visual artists. The Threadless community of over 1 million members vote to determine which designs become Threadless t-shirts and other products. A poster child of the “crowdsourcing” trend, Threadless was named by Inc. Magazine as “the most innovative small company in America.”
I think there will be a lot we can learn from him and I’m excited to be there. And, you can come too! Tickets are still available for $29 online, or be one of the first six people to comment below and you can get in with me for free.
Creativity does matter in the life of the Church and if you’re local, I hope you’ll take advantage of this great opportunity to gather, learn, connect, and be inspired.
Well, it’s a somber but happy Monday. On Saturday my Grandpa Schraeder passed away. He was 100 years old and lived an amazingly full life. Our family gathered together in September to celebrate his 100th birthday and that was one of the last times I saw him.
I have so many great memories of him and will always remember how much he treasured and loved his family… I was one of 20 grandchildren!
I’m headed home to Peoria for the week and although it’s a somber trip home, I’m excited to see family and friends and celebrate a life-well lived and rejoice in knowing my grandpa is with Jesus.
Last week I kicked off a series of blogposts around the idea of The Thank You Economy. For obvious reasons that will pick up again next week as I continue the conversation about the role of social media in the Church.
I am so excited for my friend and fellow co-director at the Center for Church Communication, Justin Wise. Justin announced some exciting changes in his life and I’m honored to see what’s ahead.
Outspoken book update: the book is complete, final edits are being made and we are making headway on the layout. Stay tuned for info!
Thanks to all of you who stopped by and have engaged in the conversation around Love Wins by Rob Bell. Interesting stuff. I still haven’t read the book yet to weigh in with my thoughts.
With all of my favorite Borders stores closing I finally broke down and got a Kindle and I LOVE it. Seriously love it. I’m reading more than I have before but the only drawback is how EASY it is to purchase books. I guess it could be worse. I still love an actual book but the Kindle definitely allows me to be mobile and not have to lug a ton of books around.
I love instagram. About 90% of the pictures I take are of coffee. I think I should start a blog with just images of coffee.
Call me crazy but I am a huge fan of the OWN Network – Oprah Winfrey Nework. I’ve been loving Our America and the Master Class. Great stories, images, and ideas… it’s inspiring.
It may be springtime but Chicago is still freezing, hopefully things will be warming up soon.
Also, in case you missed it last week, be sure to get your FREE copy of the great collaborative project, Creative Matters.
When my brother and sister both kept talking about this new church they had found I was very intrigued. My brother had already gotten involved on the worship team and my sister, who had written off church in college, had started attending and even got involved in a small group. I was definitely excited to check this place out.
I made a weekend trip to visit them and on a frigid Sunday morning in January 2007, we braved the elements to attend a service. The church didn’t have a building of its own yet, so they met in a school on Clark Street in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. Despite the frigid temperatures, the auditorium was packed with 20-and-30-somethings, young families and children. We were late getting there so the ushers took us to the only free seats in the place… on the front row. The energy in the room was electric. That particular Sunday each of the church’s elders took turns teaching, sharing the vision of the church. As I sat there, heard the vision, and imagined with them at what was possible, I knew this was something I wanted to be a part of.
The following day I went on their website, and to be honest, I was quite surprised. It was a great website but it didn’t quite match what I had experienced in person the day before. Armed with some courage believing that I could help them out, I drafted an email and threw together and a resume and portfolio and clicked “Send.”
A few phone calls and three months later, I began an incredible, nearly four-year journey, of being the Director of Communications at Park Community Church. On my first day I blogged, ” I know I’m jumping into something that is going to take me on the ride of my life.” Those words could not have been more true.
I’ve spent most of this week going through all of my files, reflecting and remembering what has been an incredible journey serving on staff at Park. Looking back over my time here the word that keeps coming to mind is grateful. I am so incredibly thankful and grateful for this experience, and more than humbled by the opportunity and gift God gave me in leading here.
A lot has changed at Park.
When I started on staff we met at Francis Parker School with about 800 people in average weekly attendance. Our building was just a shell of an old warehouse in the changing Cabrini-Green neighborhood. Our staff had about 18 people. We rented office space in Old Town above a Starbucks and a Thai restaurant and later moved to the 21st floor of the John Hancock Center before moving into our building in 2008.
Today, well over 2,500 people attend Park in three locations in neighborhoods across the city. Our staff is over 30 people and our building, which opened in 2008, has not only served our church but has become a fixture in our local neighborhood, hosting various events and outreaches for our community. Park is reaching new people every day and is living out its vision to be a biblical community where the Gospel of Jesus Christ transforms lives, renews the city, and impacts the world.
In my time serving at Park I’ve caused a bit of a ruckus… I helped rebrand the church, launched a new website [and 2 iterations since!], transitioned to an almost paperless communications strategy including killing the weekly bulletin, leveraged texting and social media to engage with our congregation, and helped to shape Park into what it is today.
Over the past few years there have been so many highlights and things I could share but I have to be honest… the highlight of my time at Park wasn’t so much the work I did or was a part of, but what God did in my own heart and life through this season. I feel like I came here bright-eyed and still wet behind the ears, and in my time here have grown up, matured, found my voice, and most importantly, found myself and God’s calling for my life. God has worked in my life in some deeply significant ways and revealed Himself and His strength through my weakness.
I’ve learned how to navigate and lead a somewhat normal existence in the chaos of city life [and absolutely LOVE it!], have found an incredible community of friends who are like family, and learned so much about God and myself in the process. I’ve had some of the most amazing opportunities, been a part of some incredible experiences, and have met people who I know will be friends for life. It hasn’t always been easy and there have definitely been challenges, but I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything.
I leave Park today with nothing but respect and admiration for the leadership and thankfulness for the opportunity to serve here. When I look back and see how God brought me here and what I’ve been able to do while I’ve been on staff, I’m just in awe of His faithfulness…. it’s been through Him, by His grace and for His glory.
To remember my first Sunday attending Park, hearing the vision and imagining what was possible, and to see where we are today is just a remarkable thing. To have been a small part of a significant chapter in the life of the church is something that I consider an immense honor and made for some of the most exciting and fulfilling seasons of ministry I’ve been a part of to date.
I am so excited for what God has already done at Park and know that even greater things are yet to come. The vision of and the heart of Park’s leadership will continue to see the church grow in size and influence, but most importantly, see more people find life transformation through the Gospel. I am so expectant to see what God will do!
I’m thrilled that in my new role I’ll continue to be able to work with the Church on a larger scale and recognize that none of this would have been possible without my time and work at Park. I cannot thank the team at Park enough for their support, encouragement, trust, grace when there were typos, and their willingness to take a risk and try new things. My experience here has built a platform for me to share and influence others and will now be a gift to other churches.
To Jackson, Donna, Steve, Jonthan, John, JR, Ty, Kensen, Joe, Scott, Bill, Kevin, Zach, Emily, Meghan, Laurel, Alicia, Sharon, Sandy, Alisha, Sheri, Laura, Mabrie, Josh, Jen, Bret, Lisa, Christine, Megan, Bob, Lindsey, Mario, Lyndsay, Annika, Rachael, Terry, Debra, Andrea, Whitney, Matt, Tim, Curtis, Andrew, Brian, Aaron, Jason, Mary, Becky, Joseph, Jim, Laura, John [and anyone else I forgot!]… it’s been a privilege to serve with you at Park. You are all some of the most remarkable people I know and it’s been an honor to be on this exciting adventure with you. I’m thankful for all of you and for the impact your life has made on mine.
To Josh Burns, who is taking my spot at Park… Dude, I am so excited for you! The first time I met you I had this sneaky suspicion you’d have my job one day and who knew it would come so fast. It’s been a blast working with you and I am so thankful for your friendship and passion for the Church… I know you are going to do great things Park and am excited to follow your journey.
To all of you who have followed along through this blog, thank you! I so appreciate each one of you and am so thankful for the work you are all doing in your own churches… keep up the great work!
As one chapter closes and a new one begins, I’m grateful for what God has already done and expectant for what’s in store… for me and for Park!
I thought it would only be fitting to close this post with this song… Love you guys!
Wayne Gordon | Founding Pastor, Lawndale Community Church For nearly 35 years of ministry “Coach,” as he is affectionately known, has played a key role in numerous community development initiatives in North Lawndale. Along with his wife and local high school students, he founded Lawndale Community Church and went on to become one of the founders of the Lawndale Christian Health Center, a healthcare ministry that sees over 150,000 patients per year. Gordon helped formulate the Christian Community Development Association and holds a major goal to develop a new generation of leaders from North Lawndale. Over 200 young people have graduated from college with more than half returning to live and work in the community. For more than 30 years of his life he has exemplified breaking down all racial barriers to pave the way for God’s truth in the lives of all that he encounters.
There are nameless, faceless people we call statistics
This year alone, we’ve already had more young people murdered than people in our military killed in Afghanistan and Iraq combined.
There is no public outcry, no national weeping for their deaths.
American poverty is different than poverty in other places of the world.
Our poverty is a poverty of violence.
Wayne and his family intentionally moved into the volatile and dangerous neighborhood of Lawndale to reach people for Christ.
The Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) has a value of “relocation” – a conscious choice people make to live in the neighborhood.
The movie The Blind Side was a story that inspired and challenged many but wasn’t accurate picture of what the church is called to do.
It’s not about pulling people out of the neighborhood, but living out your faith in the neighborhood.
Be a listener.
Most of the time we go to help the poor we go as people in charge, we don’t go to listen.
We’re so busy talking about how to solve the problems of the poor without actually being with the poor!
Develop a deep relationship with someone in poverty.
Be a learner.
They will teach you more than you can ever teach them.
Be people that have longevity.
Stay for awhile.
If you’re not going to get involved in a relationship for at least 15 years, don’t do it.
Little sidebars of short-term assistance, donations, etc do more harm than good.
