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

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

If you are a regular or member at Destination Church, please sign up and help out.

For more info about all our summer plans check out this Chicago church booth page.

Summer is not a time were we become idle. It’s a time for increased social activity as a community and shared fun together. It’s also a time of sowing and investing for the Fall. Let me explain what I mean by that.

One of the greatest things about Chicago summers are the numerous festivals throughout the neighborhoods. Thousands of people flock to these events to explore the bands, culture and food. These festivals are opportunities to connect with people and have a load of fun. Last year we ran a booth at the Chicago Summerfest and it was such a success that we have applied for four booths at different festivals this summer — that’s right, four!

Here’s how the booth works. We’ll display a large wall of photographs and ask people spiritual questions about how the photos represent their lives. It’s so simple, but so powerful. After hearing peoples stories and life experiences we’ll leave them with an invitation to our epic teaching series this summer: BLOCKBUSTER FAITH! We’ll be taking several weeks to teach on themes from current movies.

Surveying people at festivals in this way is very natural and non-threatening. This activity is a missional way to engage with the community because it involves 1) listening rather than preaching 2) taking the church to people rather than expecting them to just come to us 3) placing a relevant and appealing invitation in their hands in a relational way. People respond positively to this because it’s authentic. As a church we will prayerfully trust God that we will build deeper connections with more people as a result so that those who are interested can connect with the Destination community.

This Sunday, May 23rd, we’ll be taking up a special offering to cover the costs of the booths. If you consider Destination Church to be your church, then please pray about how much to give. If you are coming for the first time we don’t want your money, we just want you to know Jesus, so don’t feel any compulsion to give.

Please add these booths to your calendar and help out:

• The Raven Festival: June 18-20
• Summer on Southport Festival: July 31 – August 1
• Retro on Roscoe Festival: Aug 7-8
• Wrigleyville Summerfest: Aug 14-15

Let’s party!

But, it’s also a HUGE day of gratitude because it ushers in an exciting change for Destination Church in Chicago. We’ve been able to negotiate a new meeting time and EVERYONE we’ve talked to about it is more than excited. Our meetings will now commence at 10am!!! Now that’s an excellent reason to go to church on Sunday.

Our 5 minute countdown timer at the start of service will begin at 9:55am, so be pumped and ready to rock n’ roll on the 10am mark.

If you are visiting for the first time, or you’ve been away recently, please come and experience the new change with us.

See you on Sunday.

We have made some tweaks for the 2010 internship to make it even more fruitful. If you have 4 weeks this summer and you want to accelerate your spiritual development, then apply for the Summer Internship. It WILL change your perspective, deepen your heart for the lost and give you the confidence you’ve always wanted to effectively engage with the unchurched in a natural way.

So how will the internship work? I’m glad you asked!

We’ll focus on running a number of booths at festivals over weekends, which will be the bulk of the work. And, then we’ll follow up during the week in personal ways with those who requested more information about the church. Festivals provide a natural context to engage about spiritual matters and collect contact details. Unfortunately, many of the simple evangelism methods of the past no longer work in our culture. Street preaching is a BIG no-no, door-to-door barely works. But, engaging in continual surveying at summer festivals with 100′s of people provides a powerful and relevant method to connect people to Jesus and His church.

If you are a regular or member of Destination Church please add these weekends to your calendar: July 26th – August 22nd, 2010

Please spread the word. If you happen to know of any potential interns or if you are considering it yourself, waste no more time, apply now.

Apply Now For The Destination Church Summer Internship 2010

Check Out The 2009 Video

The issue of male prostitution in our city is often overlooked, especially by churches, and it’s something that we should not just be aware of, but something that we should respond to. Immersion Nights are experiential learning opportunities designed to educate and sensitize the body of Christ. Participants learn directly from the volunteers working in the communities where Emmaus does ministry.

The primary purpose of this immersion experience is to cause us to understand and consider the people trapped in this lifestyle and give us a bigger vision for loving this city. We should expect to have a deeper awareness, compassion and desire to care for people.

There is a $15-$20 suggested donation per participant. Emmaus Ministries is located at 921 W. Wilson Ave, 60640.

If you have not already indicated your involvement please use this form to sign up. Email subscribers click here.

Sign Up

We are therefore doing something radical, something that only new churches can really do, we are not just canceling our regular church meeting this week, but instead replacing it with a totally informal gathering and enjoying a totally sensational meal together. Go ahead, sleep in a little longer, roll out of bed and come with an appetite!

This Sunday, Oct 11, don’t go to our usual meeting venue at Family Grounds at 9am. Instead, please join us in our apartment at 10:30am for a brunch bonanza. Don’t worry, we’ll squeeze everyone in. There wont be planned kids activities but if the weather is good we can always go to Wrightwood Park across the street.

If you have not already indicated that you are coming, please use the form below to let us know, so we can be sure to have enough food for you and confirm our street address. Email subscribers click here.

NOTE: THERE’S NO MEETING THIS WEEK IN THE CITY. IF YOU ARE BUMMED, THEN JUST COME TO THE RETREAT!

Download Registration Form Here

That’s why we are holding a retreat over labor day weekend (Sept 5-7) about 60 miles from the city. We know that a change of pace and a change of place equals a change of perspective! We love the city, but sometimes you just got to get out to gain direction and to recharge. There could be nothing more important for a new church than to set aside time to focus, seek God and build relationships.

We won’t just be having camp fires, making smores, playing ping pong, canoeing on a lake, playing frisbee golf, mini-golf, swimming and more! But, we’ll also be praying, worshipping, looking at our vision, values, launch strategy as well as holding a baptizm in the lake — now that’s new testament!

If you are new to Destination, you’ve visited once, or maybe you just found the site, we’d love for you to join the retreat and take a look at what God has called us to do together. Feel free to also watch this video presentation titled Encouraging Community which addresses the need to build communities and churches.

Download Registration Form