WE’RE GLAD
YOU’RE HERE.
We are a community of Christians in the Western Suburbs of Chicago who have been captured by the love of Christ and the glory of God. We gather every Sunday morning in Aurora beginning at 9:30am. We are committed to authentic worship, biblical preaching, and robust community.
We’d love to have you join us!
Man-made solutions are good in themselves, but let the gospel be front and center of our work in this fallen world.
Let’s be straight: congregational singing is awkward now. If you come to church on Sunday, you’re going to be singing through a mask, surrounded by…empty space. It’s weird. And if you’ve been tuning on online, I’m pretty confident you definitely feel this. Church music piped through your TV just isn’t the same.
We’re in a strange place. And it’s temping to withdraw from the uncomfortable. But you shouldn’t. Here’s why.
How does church happen in a pandemic? This is a question we’ve all been wresting with these past four months. Now that we’re beginning to reopen on a limited basis, changing expectations and practices once more, it’s worth considering the question afresh. How does church happen when we’re sort of reopened?
On May 20th, we released our Village Together plan—a five phase plan to reopen Village safely and wisely. On Friday, May 29, Illinois and Village officially moved in to phase three, permitting groups of 10 or fewer to meet with proper social distancing protocols in place. However, on Thursday, May 28, Governor Pritzker released new guidelines for houses of worship, and explained that these guidelines were not mandatory, but rather recommended as “best practices” for resuming worship services. And so, in light of these two things—moving into phase three and the new guidance for churches—what’s next for Village? Are we ready to go? Or do we continue on with our plan?
As we move into week 11 of this pandemic, now that school is done, stores are still restricted, many activities are cancelled and the summer looming ahead—how can we see this summer as a time of middle ground? A time of refreshment and rest; of creative play and work; a time for family discipleship and ministry? Many of us have the extra time now. How will we use it?
Lately I feel like I’m expected to be in one of two camps: passionately pro-quarantine or passionately anti-quarantine. If I’m pro-quarantine, I should believe that the shutdown is the only correct reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic and that any other viewpoint is anti-science and profoundly selfish. And if I’m anti-quarantine, I should believe that the shutdown is a massive overreaction to bad data and even deliberate lies, and any other viewpoint is blind kowtowing to politicians.
Last Sunday was the first Sunday of the month, the day we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus by observing the Lord’s Supper, or Communion. It is a sweet routine for us. But we did not celebrate the Lord’s Supper. Why?
Fear and anxiety often sets in when we are faced with something beyond our control, threatening us or someone we love.
God is using this as an opportunity to shape and refine you. Difficulties that come into our lives while painful will bring us closer to Him.
After much deliberation and prayer, it has become clear that it would be unwise for us to continue business as usual at Village in light of the current spread of the coronavirus. We’ve had to make some hard decisions, but we believe they are in the best interest of our church, and our community.
