Rediscovering Church [antikvár]

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We never intended to write a detailed history of Willow Creek. Our goal, rather, was to tell enough of the story to convey certain values we have held and lessons we have learned during our years in ministry. Even given that limited scope, however, the history of Willow Creek that follows is incomplete. Missing are the names and stories of the many people who have lived out those values and learned those lessons with us. We began this project intending to include these personal stories of heroic devotion to God, to the church, and to hard work. But once we began "dropping names," we didn't know where to stop. Daily we faced a growing list of people who "just had to be included." There were • High school students in Park Ridge, Illinois, whose abandonment to the untamed winds of the Spirit gave birth to a miracle. • Students and leaders in Palatine, Illinois, whose vision and extraordinary sacrifice gave birth to a church. • Unpaid staff and lay leaders who started everything from a children's ministry to a bookstore simply because they saw a need and felt compelled to meet it. • Early module directors who were driven by love to draw people together and translate church into something warm and personal. • Board members—bona fide adults!—who had no logical reason to sign on with a bunch of kids, but did it anyway, and with grace in their hearts have stood by us all the way. • Elders who came on the scene amid crisis and who throughout the years have exhibited wisdom and have faithfully carried more than their share of the "heavy" side of ministry. • Management team members whose blend of professional competence and spiritual depth has enabled them to provide God-honoring staff leadership on a daily basis. • Staff members whose contributions to Willow Creek have prompted us to say time and time again, "I can't believe God led that person to us. We are so blessed." • Invaluable volunteers who do everything from directing traffic to serving food to cleaning bathrooms. I' ' M I,