Becoming a church. Yay, God!

On Sunday, November 12 the Presbytery of Twin Cities Area lead worship at Chain of Lakes where we celebrated that Chain of Lakes made the transition from a New Church Development to an organized, Presbyterian Church.  Chain of Lakes is the newest Presbyterian church in Minnesota. 

To watch the service go to: https://vimeo.com/242512698

Is Chain of Lakes all that different now compared to before our group of people was chartered as a church?  In some ways no.  We are organized a bit different.  We now have Articles of Incorporation and Church Bylaws; soon we will be registered with the State of Minnesota and have separate, non-profit status with the Federal Government; we now have a Presbyterian PIN number. 

But a large group of people didn’t gather on November 12 to celebrate these organizational details.  A group gathered to celebrate that a new faith community is now a recognized church.  This transition is a reflection of the faith, perseverance, and determination of a group of people called Chain of Lakes Church.  We celebrated that the Presbytery decided to start and support a new church.  And we celebrated that God could a literal mustard seed and developed something very special.    

For three weeks in November the people of Chain of Lakes have celebrated.  We celebrated our brief history, our present, and our future.  Often we shared the story of seven families gathering in the Rice Lake Professional Building in February 2009 to meet with me, the Organizing Pastor.  The vision for that group on that day in February was to become a chartered church. 

As with all visions, many people doubted if the celebration on November 12 would ever take place.  For how does a group of seven families develop to a point where they are designated as a church?  How do they do that with a pastor who had only been to Blaine twice before that meeting?  At that time in my life Central was a direction and not a road; Radisson was a hotel and not a major street; the Lakes was plural for lake and not a housing development.  I didn’t know anything about Blaine.  

And now here we are an organized church with a very bright future. 

I will always remember this day that Chain of Lakes chartered.  I will remember the large sense of accomplishment that existed in our worship space; I will remember the many friends who came to be with us to celebrate; I will remember standing between my wife, Amy, and my daughter, Hannah, and share in the midst of tears how much I was thankful for their support.

Not too many people have the opportunity to start a church from virtually scratch.  I am humbled to have had this privilege.  God is very amazing!

Celebrating the Future at Chain of Lakes Church

This Sunday, November 19 the people of Chain of Lakes Church have the opportunity to share in worship their Estimate of Giving cards.  It's stewardship time!  And I love to talk about and write about stewardship.  The giving of finances is such an important part of each person's spiritual growth.  Because this stewardship drive is so important to the ministry of Chain of Lakes Church I have included a Question and Answer sheet on this blog.  This info was mailed last week to everyone at Chain of Lakes.  If you aren't part of Chain of Lakes, you can see what is happening right now.  Enjoy!

Celebrating the Future

Tell Me About “Celebrating the Future?’

“Celebrating the Future” is the name of the stewardship campaign at Chain of Lakes for 2017.

Why was that name chosen?

This is a time of celebration at Chain of Lakes Church.  Chain of Lakes will be transitioning from a New Church Development to an organized, Presbyterian church.  As Pastor Paul frequently says, “Yay, God!”  This is an accomplishment that every person who is part of Chain of Lakes can celebrate.  In worship, on the first three Sundays in November, Chain of Lakes will celebrate the past, present, and future. 

What is going well at Chain of Lakes right now?

·         The enthusiasm in worship has never been higher at Chain of Lakes.  Walk through the front door at Davenport on a Sunday morning and you will experience a wave of energy

·         Worship attendance has frequently been near capacity this fall 

·         Since September, Chain of Lakes organized two events on the church property where over 200 people attended each event

·         A large number of individuals and families with children have connected to Chain of Lakes

·         The wider community recognizes Chain of Lakes as THE church who supports homeless youth

·         The excitement about being a chartered, Presbyterian congregation is everywhere at Chain of Lakes

Once Chain of Lakes becomes a new church what will be the next steps? 

The next steps will be up to the Session, Ministry Teams, and staff to discern.  With continued growth in worship attendance it is likely that Chain of Lakes will move to two worship services at some point in the future.  Chain of Lakes will also make concrete plans  regarding a first-phase building on the church property.

When will Chain of Lakes be able to break ground on the property?

This is a question that is frequently asked.  Every time an event is done on the church property this question is asked by the people attending the event.  The fact that the question is asked so much shows the interest of the community in a building on the property.

The “Breaking Ground Task Force” is meeting regularly to determine a possible date for breaking ground on a first-phase building.  That task force will present a report at the Annual Meeting in January.  When that task force is done, a path for a building will be identified.

Is Chain of Lakes growing in numbers?

Yes.  Fourteen people connected to Chain of Lakes as disciples in 2017 with another group soon to join.  Average worship attendance in 2017 is 70 compared to 60 in 2016.

What new ministries have started in 2017?

With the hiring of Jonathan Smith as the new Director of Music, more music opportunities are available to youth.  In December Chain of Lakes is offering a musical involving youth in kindergarten through 12^th grade. 

With the establishment of Deacons and the election of the first group of Deacons, additional congregational care is offered. 

What financial information is important to know?

Chain of Lakes continues to make progress towards financially supporting 100 percent of our ministry.  In 2017 the Chain of Lakes congregation is projected to financially support 80 percent of our ministry; in 2018 the goal is to financially support 90 percent. 

In 2018, outside financial support will diminish by at least $19,000 compared to 2017.  Chain of Lakes will have to increase revenues by that amount to keep the current level of ministry.

By becoming an organized congregation Chain of Lakes will now be financially responsible for insurance payments and Per Capita payments to the wider Presbyterian church.  With more people coming to Chain of Lakes, many Ministry Teams will increase their budget requests.  Each staff person at Chain of Lakes is working beyond their budgeted hours. Pay adjustments need to be made.

How can I help?

The people of Chain of Lakes are asked to consider helping in one of two ways:

1.  Consider increasing your Estimate of Giving to Chain of Lakes by 15 percent in 2018

2.  Consider increasing your Estimate of Giving in 2018.

This increase in each family’s Estimate of Giving along with the financial giving of people new to Chain of Lakes will allow Chain of Lakes to take these next steps.

Please note, all financial giving at Chain of Lakes is voluntary and confidential.  No one will be treated differently based on financial giving.

A video about the 2017 Stewardship Drive can be found at vimeo.com/chainoflakes/videos

Also—please consider giving through Direct Deposit.  This way of giving helps Chain of Lakes weather the ups and downs of cash flow. 

When am I asked to bring my Estimate of Giving card to worship?

Please bring your Estimate of Giving cards to worship on Sunday, November 19.  The theme for worship that day is “Celebrating the Future.”  Pastor Paul will share a vision for the future of Chain of Lakes. 

Anything else?

Please be in prayer for Chain of Lakes.  The future is very bright.  It can be even brighter as each of us discerns the direction for Chain of Lakes, our established church.

Please pray about your personal financial giving to Chain of Lakes.  God has some ideas about financial giving.  Be open to this direction.

And most of all, thanks!  Thanks for all that you have done to live out the Purpose Statement of Chain of Lakes Church:

We are called to be an authentic, Christian community where:

                Strangers become friends

                Friends become disciples

                Disciples impact the world