Cross-Cultural Connections

It's amazing how God works. Over the weekend we hosted our first Willow Creek group in our seven months that we have lived here... and I was once again reminded of how amazing it is when Christ-followers from different cultures come together.

The photo at left is of Mark, Steve Spear (lead pastor at Willow Creek DuPage) and Domingo Mendez (pastor of ICAS, one of the churches we work with on an ongoing basis).

For those of you who are unfamiliar, Willow Creek Community Church has regional campuses with a lead pastor at each one. Steve Spear is pastor to the regional church that is just about a mile from our ex-apartment in West Chicago, which is a community that is over 60% Hispanic. The current population of the church is mainly white suburban although the community-at-large looks different.

An amazing and unique thing happened over the course of the weekend that I just must share. ICAS has been hard at work for years reaching out to their community seven days a week through their almost free dental clinic, home makeover ministry, art classes, literacy program, home decoration ministry (curtains, candles, bedspreads), a Compassion International school and they have a full service restaurant opening in January '07. This is a small church, but wow, no matter what context you come from, you must admit that this church is making a difference in their community... and is setting an example of reaching out to meet needs of their neighbors. This church is the front-runner of making change in their community... more than the government, NGO's or individual donors. People's needs are being met and lives that have been broken are being redeemed. It's beautiful.

Although the street where their community center is located is full of middle class people, just one block down a little alleyway you find a barrio of 2,000 people named "La Chorerra." A photo of this neighborhood is at right. Diseases, hunger and flooding are just part of life there.

Anyway, over the course of the visit the past three days, connections were made. Mark did an excellent job translating for the 5 Willow Creek folks and facilitating conversations in both Spanish/English to help them get to know one another and about potential future projects. Not only did Willow Creek DuPage make some connections in ways that they can serve in the future (run sports camps with ICAS's up-and-coming basketball ministry, provide sponsors for Compassion kids on waiting lists) but ICAS also provided a vision for how Willow Creek DuPage might be able to reach out to the under-resourced parts of their community. ICAS painted a very clear picture of doing church in a way that is not just bringing people into the church... but going to them and meeting needs where they are. To see this exchange, and how much this little church in Manganagua DR is setting an example of a megachurch like Willow, was amazing and was a blessing.