Tag: NLCC journey
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A milestone in a 175-year-old church’s history
A few years ago I wrote frequently on this blog about North Liberty Christian Church and its journey after being forced to sell its building, on land they’d occupied since 1839. At last, this congregation’s new building is complete. It was a long time coming. The backstory: in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the…
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Finding joy in service
A year ago my church was still in our building on land where our congregation was founded in 1839, but we were dying. Six months ago we sold the building, bought some land, and prepared to build a smaller building, one we could afford to heat and cool while still paying our pastor. Today we’re…
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Renewing a 170-year heritage
We sought God’s leading for our dying church. The path he put us on led us away from our home of 170 years, but it unified us behind him after years of strife.
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Afternoon of awe
On one of the first warm nights last spring we were standing in the pastor’s kitchen in our shorts and flip-flops after a meeting. “I keep having this dream about a concert,” Nancy said, “in the parking lot at the church. Over and over again I’m dreaming this. I’m getting the feeling that I’m supposed…
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Like Gideon’s army
We lost a couple more families at church recently, people who were very involved. Not only is it hard to watch them go, but it’s hard to fill the void they leave behind. And given that our church is small, and that those who contribute tend to wear many hats, that void is significant. We…
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Yes, Lord
The church where I attend is dying. Neighboring farm families who settled in northwest Marion County founded North Liberty Christian Church in 1839. Their names are on the gravestones around our building. The congregation has has its ups and downs in 170 years. We’ve built two log cabins, a brick church, and the current brick-faced…