Posts by Josh Fenska (Page 2)

Posts by Josh Fenska (Page 2)

Pandemic Lessons from Church History

A lot of things are changing these days. As the coronavirus continues to spread, things look very, very different than even just a week ago in our culture, in our daily lives, and in our church. However, Jesus is not frightened or confused by what’s happening. This is very new to all of us; but it is not new to Jesus or the church. How has the church survived…

Stay Up to Speed with Redeemer

On Sunday March 22 we are planning a video broadcast (instead of our regular gathering), so we can be strengthened by God’s Word even in the midst of the current health crisis. Our deacons are also cooking up some great strategies for how we can care for one another well and demonstrate the love of Christ in our community. We will send around more information in the…

Some Ideas for Sunday March 15

Well, with a change in plans for Sunday March 15, we want to recommend a few things that you might choose to discuss in your home or with some friends from your church family. If you have a small worship huddle in your home, these three elements could work really well—with a variety of ages or group sizes. Obviously, feel free to adapt these ideas for the people present.…

Update: We Are Canceling This Sunday

Here is the headline issue: we will not be gathering together at Plank Jr. High this Sunday. We sent out a communication earlier this week about the spreading coronavirus. Since then several factors have developed, leading to our decision to cancel our gathering this Sunday morning: The very rapid spread of this virus Governor Pritzker’s guideline that gatherings…

A Letter about Coronavirus

Update on Friday March 13: This situation is developing rapidly, even since the letter below was published. We will no longer be gathering this Sunday. Please check back in the coming days for more information.   Church family, As you are aware, there are increasing concerns about the spreading coronavirus, especially as there now are confirmed cases in the Chicago…

Praying Together for Iran

A few weeks ago, Luke Bray led us in thinking about the heart of Psalm 67: “Let the nations be glad” (Ps. 67:3). While we are learning more about global missions (it’s not too late to join the Missions Discipleship Course!), and exploring how we as a church can be more involved in God’s global plans (especially in our partnership in Cambodia),…

2 Samuel Sermon Series: Broken & Beloved

This autumn, we’ll follow the epic story of King David in 2 Samuel. As you probably know, David is a Beloved King. Actually, his name literally means “beloved.” God’s people love him. More importantly, God loves him. But what about his relationship with Bathsheba? What about all of the violence? What about all of the chaos that surrounds his life,…

Acts 29 Global Gathering 2019

Two weeks ago, Katie and I were at the Acts 29 Global Gathering in Orlando, along with Josh & Kimberly Anderson and Kyle & Coleen Gennicks. We came home much more excited to be involved in this church-planting network. Here are a few of the things I found energizing: 1) We saw more clearly than ever that Acts 29 truly is a diverse and global church-planting…

21 Days of Praying

As a church, we want to re-enroll in the school of prayer, and join the disciples in asking, “Lord, teach us to pray,” (Luke 11:1). We want to challenge you as a disciple to join us in 21 days of praying for 21 minutes a day. For some, that’s a stretch. But we’re absolutely certain that it will be worth it. Is there any situation in which praying…

Why Plant Churches? Five Reasons

Two weeks ago, we had a “send out Sunday” for Mission Church and Kyle & Colleen Gennicks, and the commission team.  This past week, they began their Sunday meetings! This is a good opportunity to remember why we plan to be a church-planting church. Here are a few reasons: 1) A BIBLICAL reason: Great Commission + the book of Acts = Jesus’ mandate for church…