Church Start Near Dubuque Has New Website

Peosta Worship Center, a new church start has now has a website for their congregation: http://www.peostaworshipcenter.org.

"Permission to Fail"

I stumbled across this video from the Pittsburgh Presbytery (part of the Presbyteryian Church) which shares the story of a new church plant in Pittsburgh.

What are your thoughts about new churches? Did you know of new churches that are being planted in the Region? Do the pastors and leaders of new churches in the Region have stories to tell us?

Feel free to comment.

One NC congregation’s end is another’s beginning

From Disciplesworld:

By Heidi Bright Parales, DisciplesWorld contributing writer

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (6/27/08) — The resurrection came alive this year for members of Eastfield Christian Church in Charlotte.

On the Sunday after the Disciples congregation closed its doors and sold its church building, members revived as Communion of Faith Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), meeting in an assisted living center less than four miles away.

Initially, the congregational rebirth wasn’t planned, but the transition occurred smoothly with leadership from pastor Dara Cobb.

Cobb arrived months earlier with her children, ages 4 and 7, to plant a church. While she started a spirituality group, Regional Minister John Richardson asked her to consider doing pulpit supply for a church that had been without a full-time minister for about two years.

She agreed, and began preaching at Eastfield. Cobb sensed the congregation's sadness and struggle with direction.

Within a few Sundays, she was asked to consider taking the pastorate. She turned it down, still feeling called to start a new church. Eventually, they asked her to serve part time.

Agreeing, she began praying and working with them concerning the church’s future, she said. “They loved the church deeply. It was a very difficult time struggling. We discerned that together, God was calling us to start a congregation.”

Bonnie Matthews, church elder chair, explained that the Eastfield congregation had been focused on survival. “We were struggling to pay the bills, so we were inwardly focused. We weren’t reaching out to the community. We knew the only thing we could do was sell that building to enable us to call Dara as a full-time pastor.”

Cobb and the congregation began preparing to close the church. “There’s no easily available blueprint for how to conduct a final service,” she said. “We put a lot of time and effort into planning it.”

During their last service in the building on May 25, participants shared their memories. Members of different ages read from scripture. “It was emotionally healing and (provided) some closure for a lot of people,” Cobb said.

A carpenter created a memory box for church members to fill with sacred items, said Cobb. The box will be taken to the Disciples of Christ Historical Society in Nashville, Tenn.

Eastfield’s building was sold to a Methodist congregation, and members left a special cross for them, said Matthews. “God is going to be with us wherever we worship. What a beautiful gift for us to give to the new church.”

The following Sunday, many Eastfield members met at The Haven Assisted Living Center, where Cobb now offers worship services as full-time pastor for Communion of Faith Christian Church. “Some people are still grieving, but there is more a feeling of joy and expectation about what the future will hold,” she said. “We get to continue to love and serve God.”

Cobb quickly initiated a summer of service, asking everyone to do some sort of ministry project. “We want to be a congregation that’s invested in our community, doing good work on behalf of God,” she said.

Matthews praised Cobb’s enthusiasm for mission. “A lot of us (also) have the passion to do outreach. I believe you have to reach out to the community in order to survive.”

During Matthews’ family reunion, children were challenged to bring peanut butter for a local food pantry. Another member plans to host birthday parties for children who otherwise couldn’t have one. One member is coordinating residents in a sister assisted-living facility to create receiving blankets for premature babies. Another project involves providing activities for children to give foster parents a break so families remain intact longer. A few larger projects are being considered.

Service within the congregation involves inviting The Haven residents, all of whom have Alzheimer’s Disease, to worship. While many have forgotten family and friends, during worship all of them start praying the Lord’s Prayer and sing some old hymns, said Cobb. “These are so deeply embedded in their hearts and souls. It’s a beautiful spiritual testament to their faith.”

Matthews said she finds joy in seeing residents — usually about a dozen — worshipping. During the service, members give each other hugs. One resident told Matthews it was such a treat to be hugged. “I’m happy we are in a place where we can bring some joy to somebody else,” she said.

Cobb finds her own children an asset to the congregation as well. “I thank God because they absolutely love the church,” she said.

The congregation’s resurrection has even brought new life into the church. During their third Sunday service, Cobb performed a baby dedication. “That was really life-giving,” she said. “That always gives people hope for the future.”