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Events

#StoriesMatter⠀ This month we'll be highlighting

#StoriesMatter⠀
This month we'll be highlighting different stories of people in our church for #BlackHistoryMonth. Check out this week's from Lonyee Lampley...⠀
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My name is Lonyee Lampley. I am an African American woman born on the west side of Chicago. My roots are traced to Hines County, Mississippi. I’ve been a member of Greater Chicago Church since 2010. My top two favorite things - educating inner city youth and traveling the world, and I’m enjoying the opportunity to do both. Two years ago, I graduated from Bradley University with a Bachelor’s in secondary education and immediately after completing my bachelors, I was blessed with the opportunity to move to the United Arab Emirates and teach English to 9th-12th graders. After two years in the UAE, I returned to America and accepted a job in an inner city Chicago high school teaching African American Literature. I have a passion for serving in underserved communities and equipping students with the academic and personal skills to succeed. As you may know, there is a racial achievement gap and my goal is to discover a way to efficiently close this gap. I am driven by my motivation to ensure that there are equal learning opportunities for all.⠀
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Favorite Quote: My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style. - Maya Angelou

'Sometimes lament means opening yourself up to the

'Sometimes lament means opening yourself up to the process which just leads to more process, but knowing that God is always there.’ @jenjenyeahyeah

As a church, over the last 5 weeks, we've taken a look at the book of Lamentations and what it means to grieve, have hope, be in process and still know that God is with us. ⠀
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Last Sunday, we invited 4 people who are a part of our church to share their story and experience with lament over the past 4 weeks and 2020 as a whole.⠀
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To hear the full message, head over to our podcast : https://buff.ly/2Dbl8zl

Join us tomorrow morning for our weekly gathering

Join us tomorrow morning for our weekly gathering @ 10am!⠀
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We'll be wrapping up our series on Lamentations and will get to hear stories from different people as they share how they have processed grief and pain over the last 4 weeks.⠀
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Tune in here on Facebook, YouTube or join us in the Zoom room : https://buff.ly/2LeCq4j

Always truly means always. In everything. In every

Always truly means always. In everything. In every season. No matter what.

#StoriesMatter⠀ This month we'll be highlighting

#StoriesMatter⠀
This month we'll be highlighting different stories of people in our church for #BlackHistoryMonth. Check out this first one from Bernard Starks...⠀
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"Well, my experiences of being black have been a challenge at times. However, those challenges and God’s love have helped me grow and has molded me to the man I am today. ⠀
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Throughout my life, my parents have valued education in order for me to have a good life. My mom grew up in public housing outside of Detroit, while my dad grew up in public housing for most his childhood on the South Side of Chicago. They both saw and experienced things that they did not want me to. Although not perfect, my parents did their best and were able to have enough money for me to go to Michigan State University without incurring debt. ⠀
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During this time, I was looked at differently. For white people, I was “intelligent” because I did not speak a way, they thought I should speak. For my race, I was not “black enough” because I didn’t grow up in Detroit and did not dress a certain way. The way I spoke didn’t help either. In ways, I was ostracized on all sides because I did not fit a certain box. It was difficult for me. During this time, I joined a multi-racial group that discussed topics such as racial inequality, segregation and destroying stereotypes. Some of those people I am still close to today. ⠀
It helped me realize that I was not ostracized. God was showing me that my black is beautiful. I do not need to be anyone but Bernard Starks, III. ⠀
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Although I still deal with those issues today, Jesus has always been there for me. He has given me a voice to uplift those who have been ostracized, isolated and hurting. I am in education because of that. I want the youth to love who they are and see how awesome they are because God made them that way."

We love what is happening in our church with the J

We love what is happening in our church with the Justice Action Team!
On Saturday night we hosted a movie discussion on ‘Remember the Titans’.
The conversation was rich and insightful.
As we enter what is historically Black History Month, our hope and raise is that different cultures and races would be celebrated each and every day - and that starts with us.

Through it all, He was right there in the back of

Through it all, He was right there in the back of the boat. Through the pain, the process and the progress - God was there.

Catch up on JD’s message from Sunday on our Facebook, YouTube channel or the podcast (links in bio).

I'm sticking with God (I say it over and over). He

I'm sticking with God (I say it over and over). He's all I've got left. God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits, to the woman who diligently seeks. It's a good thing to quietly hope, quietly hope for help from God. It's a good thing when you're young to stick it out through the hard times. When life is heavy and hard to take, go off by yourself. Enter the silence. Bow in prayer. Don't ask questions: Wait for hope to appear. Don't run from trouble. Take it full-face. The "worst" is never the worst. Why? Because the Master won't ever walk out and fail to return. Lamentations 3:24-34

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