16 Highlights from 2016 Church Planting in Naperville.

Here’s 16 Highlights from 2016 as we plant Cross of Christ Fellowship in Naperville.

16 HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2016
1. Cross of Christ Fellowship was officially sent out by Redeemer Fellowship in March
2. We hosted our first public worship service at the Dupage Children’s Museum in downtown Naperville on Easter Sunday
3. Our congregation is growing, slowly but steadily numerically, with new people joining and going through membership; we are also growing in depth of community, unity, love, and mission. (We feel like a family!)
4. A leadership team was formed to help Tom lead and care for the congregation
5. Our Sunday ministries are running smoothly with volunteers and leaders doing a great job even with limited resources
6. We are building deeper relationships with those in the Naperville community
7. We had an outreach over Labor Day Weekend where we gave out around 200 copies of Gospel of John and had dozens of opportunities to share the gospel. This will be a yearly outreach for us.
8. Our Meetup Discussion Group ministries are going strong, with a dozen or so unbelievers attending every month—some have visited our church—and the gospel is shared regularly there with many who have no connection at all to an evangelical church (many are atheist or agnostic or not sure what they believe).
9. We served regularly at Independence Village (a retirement home), built relationships, shared the gospel
10. We ministered monthly to students at a local college, North Central College.
11. We have a great relationship with our venue—they say we are a “perfect fit”—and are signed up for another year.
12. On Sunday mornings we went through the books of Colossians and Nehemiah, and the congregation has been very encouraging and gracious to Tom as he finds his “preaching voice” and learns the in’s & outs of pastoral ministry
13. God has provided for our financial needs: we purchased our sound system, paid for our venue, provided Tom a salary, and all the other expenses that come with operating a church.
14. Many people have heard the gospel through Sunday morning services, outreach events, relationships, and activities.
15. God has given us strength and endurance this year through the highs and lows, and our church is strong and united.
16. We are hosted an end of the year outreach called “Cookies & Carols” on Saturday Dec  17, which was a great opportunity to share the gospel and build relationships with those in the community.