God loves cities. He is relentless in pursuing the multitudes of people who dwell in our city. Join us for this critical series as we focus on our vision and calling.

The Tipping Point is a book by Malcolm Gladwell that explores and explains how social epidemics come about. The book of Jonah is a historical account of the entire populace of the city of Nineveh repenting of their sin in response to Jonahs preaching. In Jonah we’ll see some parallels to Gladwell’s book, the law of the few, the stickiness of the message and the power of context.

However, Jonah’s story is far more than a social epidemic. We’ll also see the strategic importance of cities, the challenges we face as messengers, the goals God is placing before us and our call to the nations of the world.

God loves Chicago! Join us as we envision a better future.

This is a special meeting for members. We’ll review our past 18 months and look towards our next 12 months and pray together. Please prioritize this gathering.

Where

1826 W. Patterson Ave, Apt 1, 60613

When

Wednesday Sept 1st @ 8pm

Time: 12:30pm-3:30pm

Location: Waiting for final confirmation

We spent a long time thinking about it and there really is no good reason not to attend the upcoming membership class. In fact, there are plenty of GOOD reasons …

• Lunch is provided
• It’s right after church
• You get to hear more about what God’s doing at Destination
• You get to hang with AWESOME people
• If God’s leading you to officially join the church, it will be a HUGE blessing in your life
• Why not?

SIGN UP NOW

Everyone is welcome. Please RSVP on Facebook and bring a topping!

Celebrate with our interns this Sunday, August 22 at 6:30pm.

At this Chicago church we desire to pray! Join with us this Wednesday (Aug 18) at 7:30pm for a special prayer gathering at Ray Siffel’s apartment: 7407 N Winchester Ave, Apt 202, Chicago, IL 60626. We desire for God to change this city. Let’s pray!

If you haven’t had a chance to serve at our festivals yet, we’d like to encourage you to sign up to get involved this weekend.

Including this Sunday, we have  four Blockbuster Faith messages left and we want to continue to make the most of our time and opportunities to invite people and get the word out.

There are many great reasons to help out at a Destination Booth, even if it’s just for a few hours. Here they are …

1. People at these festivals are fun. It really is a great time all around. Plus the music is usually good. And you can get a funnel cake!
2. You get to meet other Destinationers and bond through the shared experience. You also can connect with our awesome interns and find out about how their experience at Destination is shaping them.
3. You get out of your comfort zone. Handing out stuff, taking people through spiritual surveys and talking to people you don’t know does a lot to you. We are all controlled by what other people think of us. You will face a little bit of rejection, but you’ll also meet people who are seeking God, it’s worth waiting for those ones! The only way to break the fear of man is to engage people.
4. Most of all you get to see how God is at work and get a bigger vision for how He is using us to reach this city to glorify his son Jesus.

Sign up today …

Why are the festivals so important for us? It’s simple. People. These festivals are full of PEOPLE. Many that we connect with at these events are open and interested in talking about faith and God. There are often people new to the area who get drawn in by the loud music. It’s a relaxed, informal and natural environment to connect with Chicagoans.

How does it work? The way we approach people is very non-threatening. People often comment that it’s enjoyable in fact. We ask people if they have time for a short photo survey that engage them with spiritual questions. We also invite people to our current Blockbuster Faith series. We are yet to experience a negative response.

• Dates: Saturday August 7 – Sunday August 8
• Times: 12noon – 10pm Sat/Sun
• Location: 2000-2300 W. Roscoe

We have more opportunities to serve at the booth.

Please sign up today and help serve.

With one down and three to go, we are excited to see the momentum these endeavors will create for us. Our last festival, The Raven, helped this non-denominational church in Chicago (one of the many labels we have) to draw the attention of Time Out Chicago (see article). What opportunities will these other festivals bring us?

We have four interns arriving this week to serve at these festivals and to continue to pray and promote Blockbuster Faith. What a privilege to have dedicated individuals helping us connect with new people and follow up with them.

But we can’t expect interns to carry the burden for us. As a community it’s critical that we engage with these festivals and put ourselves out there. With our unique photo survey booth and follow up system, we have an incredible opportunity to serve many people in this city who are on a spiritual journey and are looking to connect.

Get involved, this weekend, at the Summer on Southport Festival, 1-5pm or 5-9pm Saturday or Sunday.

Go ahead and sign up here.

The article appeared on page 6 of the current print edition, with an estimated 40,000+ circulation, and online here.

A couple of weeks back we were visited by Editor Jake Malooley, who approached us after the service for a personal interview about the series. After a phone interview that evening, the article appeared just a couple of weeks later.

As a church we couldn’t be happier with the tone, focus and placement of the review. This is the kind of publicity you can’t manufacture. This is simply an answer to prayer. A God opportunity. What a relevant connection between culture and the gospel.

Another unexpected element of the article was the bespoke artwork created by Mitch O’Connell which depicts Jesus at the last super, surrounded by stars from Blockbuster Faith movies. Jesus isn’t just a friend of sinners, he’s a friend of vegetarian vampires.

Read the review for yourself and post a comment. And don’t forget to check out Blockbuster Faith at Destination this Sunday.

Baptism is a step of obedience for all believers and follows faith. The word in the original greek means to submerge. Baptism does not save, but symbolizes death, burial and resurrection with Christ.

You may view the slideshow below and click through to view the album on Picasa.

If you would like to be baptized as a believer please indicate this on your communication card on Sunday mornings.

(email subscribers click here to view the slideshow)