Portage First UMC, Stockbridge Avenue UMC, and LifeSpring Church ReThink Church
Be The Church
To build something new, there is often something that must first be torn down. It is the same with ideas.
Portage First UMC, Stockbridge Avenue UMC, and LifeSpring Church came together a year ago as a cluster group to share resources, ideas, and to envision how they might, through cooperative effort, become a more powerful influence for Christ than any of them could be alone.
The group stepped out into the next phase when the group began to “Rethink Church” with a broader brush, and started to paint a picture of what church might be in the world if we all thought about our ministries differently.
Their first endeavor was the “RETHINKCHURCH - BETHECHURCH” Campaign. (http//rethinkchurchbethechurch.info )
A joint worship service with about 500 people was held on September 13, 2009 at the Overlander Bandshell in Portage, Michigan with all three churches and the Wesley Foundation of Western Michigan University taking part in the celebration. Worship was planned in such a way as to host all three praise bands, a joint choir, and messages by each church. Scripture focus was Habakkuk 2: 1-2 “Write the vision and make it plain. . .”
This event was followed by three weeks of messages at each church focusing on being the church in the world. During the fourth week, the Wesley Foundation and all three of the churches took their worship time off to “Be the Church” by doing servant evangelism activities in the greater Kalamazoo-Portage community.
More than 200 people participated in over 20 projects spread throughout the community. These efforts included: yard and road cleanups, a gas buy down, serving at Taste of Heaven (which supports Youth for Christ and the Gospel Mission of Kalamazoo), meals and cleanup at Ministry with Community (a ministry to the homeless), meals at the Rickman House (a homeless housing facility), helping at Loaves and Fishes, Angel Promotion in affiliation with Stockbridge Ave UMC, Home Repair for a needy family in the Edison Park neighborhood, breakfast and prayer at Michigan Youth Challenge Academy in Battle Creek, Michigan, visits with dinner to shut-ins and nursing homes, and serving a spaghetti dinner to the Wesley Foundation for their Sunday night fellowship.
The final week culminated in a celebration of testimonies and personal witness stories. A Rethink Church team has formed to continue discussion and make plans for ongoing ministry.
These churches continue to meet to discuss and plan new things in the coming year. God places a vision in our hearts of which no one should discourage us. God’s visions are never small because God has GREAT plans for us!