NOTE FROM PASTOR PETER
What would happen if a generation of believers gathered across racial, social, and cultural differences for one common purpose: To seek the heart of God and build relationships that will impact Chicago and then the world? Is it possible to be a church that models the New Testament church of the 1st century and still impact a generation in the 21st century? Can we be a church where people from all walks of life, regardless of where they’re at in their spiritual journey, are valued and find acceptance?
In 2001, prompted by these same questions, a small group of people began to pray and seek the heart of God. It was their conviction that God had placed a special burden on their hearts to reach their generation with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They began praying with the dream of one day worshipping as part of an authentic community that valued openness, honesty, and acceptance. This worshipping community also had another passion. That passion was to be Christ’s hands and feet to the hurting and broken in the city of Chicago, and beyond. The dream was to build a New Community of God’s people that would serve holistically-meeting a person’s spiritual and physical needs.
I grew up in church. The church has always been a part of my life as long as I can remember. But I have not always “believed” in the church. The part of the Apostle’s Creed that I always struggle with is, “and I believe in the holy church.” It is easy for me to believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God is absolutely lovely and wonderful beyond comprehension! But belief in the church? That’s a different matter all together. The church is often unattractive-divisive, petty, and self-centered. It takes way more “faith” for me to believe in the church-the Body of Christ, the Bride of Christ being what the Bible says it is- than to believe in God.
My wrestling eventually led me to the place of being desperate enough to seek God’s heart. Regardless of its imperfections and flaws, I believed wholeheartedly that God had a plan for His Bride. I believed that empowered by the Holy Spirit, the church can be the embodiment of Jesus and a foretaste of the Kingdom of God. The church can indeed be the “city on a hill”, a representation of the new community that Christ created by the virtue of His death and resurrection. The church can be that place where regardless of race, class, and gender, people can experience true and genuine reconciliation with God and with each other. The church can be that place that the watching world would notice as a group of “foreigners and aliens” so attractive in its life and witness that they would want to be a part of this new community! God can change the world through His church!
In the spring of 2001, God began to answer my prayers. Through a series of “visions” over the course of a month, God began to paint a portrait of the kind of church we were to become. I wrote these down and they became our vision statements. Fall of 2001 was critical as a group of about 35 committed folks began to meet in small groups with the intention of planting a church in Logan Square. God worked in amazing ways!
Today, although the dream has yet to become a reality, New Community Covenant Church is actively seeking to be the embodiment of the Kingdom in the city of Chicago! Made up of people representing many cultures, ethnic groups, and socioeconomic backgrounds, we are committed to breaking the cycle of “church as usual.” New Community exists to provide an alternative to those tired of religion. We want people to know that God’s desire for them is not to embrace religion, but to be in intimate communion (community) with Him and with Others. This is the gospel of Jesus.
My prayer for you is that regardless of who you are or where you have come from, you would join us as we pursue God’s heart and ask, “What is God doing in our generation?” Together, we can make an impact For Christ in this generation that will last a lifetime.
Pastor Peter
