Willow Creek News | Willow Creek Community Church

Singles Gather To Celebrate and Serve

Willow Creek’s Singles will serve the Prison and Jail Ministry on Saturday, December 5, by providing cookies for incarcerated youth. Each participant is asked to furnish three to six dozen cookies—home baked or purchased from a bakery—but not to package them. Cookies will be wrapped and packaged in special containers, then distributed at a later date.

 

Volunteers are invited to stay for a Christmas social after serving. The event will take place from 6:30-9:30 p.m. in the East Multi-purpose room of the South Barrington campus. Registration is required.

The Grace Epiphany

Willow Creek’s Catalyst Team will gather for The Grace Epiphany, a celebration breakfast from 8-9:30 a.m. on Saturday, November 21, in the Atrium in South Barrington. Highlights will include a look back at more than 1,301 baptisms, as well as the shared stories of people who have reconnected with Christ and His church this year. 

 

Matt Lundgren will lead the team in worship, and Teaching Pastor Darren Whitehead will “fuel the passion fires” with the message, “The Grace Epiphany.” Included in the $10 ticket cost will be a copy of What’s So Amazing about Grace? a book that retails for $15.99.

 

The Catalyst Team equips people to respond to questions and begin spiritual dialogues with those who are far from God. In addition to regular breakfast meetings, the Catalyst teams offers classes such as “Living in 3D,” “Holiday Impact: Leveraging Your Influence for the Holidays,” and “The Case for Christ.”

 

For registration and information, visit the Catalyst web site.

Willow Chicago Presents "A Chicago Christmas"

Willow Creek’s Chicago campus kicks off the Christmas season with “A Chicago Christmas” on December 6.

 

For this musical celebration, Chicago’s creative arts team will tell “city stories,” combining diverse musical styles with drama and dance. The free performance is for all ages and will be presented at 2 and 5 p.m. at the Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Congress Parkway. Doors open one hour before the service.

 

 “There’s no better place than the beautiful Auditorium Theatre to enjoy a Christmas experience,” says Todd Katter, Interim Campus Pastor, “and this one promises to share the real joy of the Christmas story—as relevant today as ever.”

 

For details and ticket information, go to

http://chicagochristmas.eventbrite.com/   

Just the Ticket

After taking a spiritual gifts class a few years ago, Karen Murray was looking for a place to use her gift of serving. She found the perfect fit on the Willow Creek Ticket Team.

 

Ticket Team members assist guests with Christmas ticket needs, serving at Ticket Central, taking phone calls, or answering questions at the kiosks. Most members serve two, two-hour shifts a week, increasing the number of shifts during Christmas services.

 

From Recruit to Leader

 

Karen joined the team seven years ago, and the rest of her family was soon lending a hand. Now, as Team Leader, Karen greets guests, trains new volunteers, and mans the phones. Her husband Bill serves in these capacities, also helping with set up and computer issues. Thirteen-year-old Liam, who started out greeting guests and passing out candy, is now helping on the computer and answering guests’ questions.

 

New volunteers on the Ticket Team receive on-the-job training in greeting people, helping to fulfill ticket requests, and handling special requests. They work on a buddy system during their training. Morning and evening shifts are still available, beginning November 28 and extending through Christmas Eve. To learn how you can use your gift of hospitality or serving to assist guests at Christmas, visit the web site, or contact acroft@willowcreek.org. Training and chocolate provided!

 

"A Family Within a Family"

 

“Serving on the Ticket Team has become such an important part of our lives,” says Karen, “we feel like we’re really a family serving within a family.”

Catalyst Team Celebrates a "Grace Epiphany"

 

Willow Creek’s Catalyst Team will gather for “The Grace Epiphany,” a celebration breakfast from 8-9:30 a.m. on Saturday, November 21, in the Atrium in South Barrington. Highlights will include a look back at more than 1,301 baptisms, as well as the shared stories of people who have reconnected with Christ and His church this year. 

 

Matt Lundgren will lead the team in worship, and Teaching Pastor Darren Whitehead will “fuel the passion fires” with the message, “The Grace Epiphany.” Included in the $10 ticket cost will be a copy of What’s So Amazing about Grace? a book that retails for $15.99.

 

The Catalyst Team equips people to respond to questions and begin spiritual dialogs with those who are far from God. In addition to regular breakfast meetings, the Catalyst teams offers classes such as “Living in 3D,” “Holiday Impact: Leveraging Your Influence for the Holidays,” and “The Case for Christ.”

 

For registration and information, visit the Catalyst web site.