Spirit of giving lasts all year at new church

Posted by Kendall Harmon

The members of Waterfront Community Church attend weekly services in a high school auditorium. Their contemporary Christian music rock band practices at someone's home. And the pastor relies on a laptop and Starbucks for an office.

The nondenominational suburban Chicago church operates on a shoestring budget and under an unusual financial setup so it can stick to a mission: Give 100% of offerings gathered from the collection plate to those in need.

"We found how little we know about the people around us. We started asking around, 'What are the needs of the community?"' said the church's pastor and founder Jim Semradek. "When you present that need to people, they're very responsive. People have very generous hearts."

Read it all.

Filed under: * Christian Life / Church Life • Parish Ministry • Stewardship • * Religion News & Commentary • Other Churches • Evangelicals

2 Comments
Posted December 30, 2008 at 7:10 am [Printer Friendly] [Print w/ comments]



1. Franz wrote:

We often have an “edifice complex.”  This is especially acute in (P)ECUSA, where, over many decades, many attachments have been formed to some beautiful buildings.

I firmly believe in the power and importance of associating beauty with worship.  I also believe in the importance of setting aside a place devoted to God.  However, people like these should serve to remind us that we should wear our attachments to a building, a location, lightly.  When the edifice ceases to serve God, and becomes instead an impediment to that service, we need to consider alternatives to our own “edifice complex.”

December 30, 9:39 am | [comment link]
2. RickW wrote:

this is very challenging.  It is the type of article that should elicit 100 posts.

December 30, 5:41 pm | [comment link]
Registered members must log in to comment.



Next entry (above): Washington Post: Israel Rejects Truce, Presses on With Gaza Strikes

Previous entry (below): The Anglican vicars, father and son, who became Roman Catholic priests

Return to blog homepage

Return to Mobile view (headlines)